Veil of Darkness
by Turquoisephoenix
Summary: Morphina, a soulbinder mage, escapes the Cave of Bad Dreams and is too powerful even for Rayman. The world's only hope lies on the shoulders of a dying bloodline called the zombietamers. Ivy, the last member, is the only one who can stop her. complete
1. Visions

Disclaimer:*sigh* Why must I waste my breath on a silly disclaimer. Anyone can tell that I own nothing from Rayman's world other than what comes out of my fantasies and daydreams. You got a problem with that? *pause* I thought so. On with the fanfic!  
  
Notes: Soul binding is based off of various neromacer fiction like 'Sabriel' and the very captivating game called 'Enternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem'. It's strange on paper, but it seems to fit the atmosphere of this story. In case anyone doesn't know, soul binding is a lot like making someone your slave. (Submission, hypnotism, servitude. You know, the "I am at your will, Master..." stuff.)  
  
  
  
--------------------------Foreword-------------------------  
  
The world that Rayman came to know among his journeys was full of prosperity and happiness. The books of the time before the pirates came described the land as flawless and full of love and beauty. As described, everyone came to believe that there were no nightmares or monsters save the ones locked in the prisons dwelling in the Cave of Bad Dreams and in the Tomb of the Ancients. There was no need to protect yourself from anything or anyone before the pirates came.  
  
Sadly, these tales of prosperity weren't completely true.  
  
For as long as anyone can remember, the Marshes of Awakening was known to be the one place that surrounded the entrance to the Cave of Bad Dreams. Despite popular belief, the well-secured entrance didn't keep all the ghouls locked inside its ghastly tomb. In fact, one ghoul had escaped many eons ago and still haunts the swamps to this very day. One they describe as foul, merciless, and most importantly, unstoppable.  
  
Everyone just called her Morphina.  
  
She was among the first nightmares accidently created by the world's protector; the almighty Polokus while he dreamed up the creations of the world. When she was created, she was considered to be a sight of bad omen, for she brought disease and famine wherever she grazed the land. Polokus, seeing this danger, quickly shut her away along with the other ghouls that followed her in the Cave of Bad Dreams. Jano, the guardian and keeper of the Cave, was instructed that he was to be extra wary of her, for even Polokus and the Teensies feared her shape-shifting and soul-binding ways. She was even believed to be the flesh incarnation of hate and death by most.  
  
Morphina escaped in private only a few years after her imprisonment. She brought with her a whole legion of unspeakable creatures with strength that would bring whole countries to their knees. Using her sadistic cunning, she ordered the monsters to terrorize as she planned for the day that she would take Polokus's place as the ruler of the world. The Marshes of Awakening became nothing more than a poison-infested wasteland with very few inhabitants, and the Sanctuaries, which were normally filled with life, became hazardous to anyone who came near.  
  
The Ancients, upon seeing this threat to the world, needing someone to be the exact opposite of Morphina's power. They needed someone who would pass this unique power throughout their bloodline, and someone who could be comfortable among the swamplands that Morphina enjoyed and liked to target. That's when they took notice a small petty family that lived in the marshes.  
  
The family was known as the Thorn family. They had traveled to the marshes to escape a dangerous feud that took place in a human suburb many miles away. It consisted of only a man and his wife, but they had to make do. They were given a great and powerful magic power by the Ancients that would be passed throughout their bloodline as time went by. The Thorn family later became known among the swamps and marshes as the zombie-tamers.  
  
Like Morphina, they could bind souls to their whim and could also unbind an already cast spell off of a innocent victim. They were such called the zombie-tamers because of Morphina's army obeyed her every command until the spell upon them was broken. Now, Morphina had someone to worry about during her path to world-domination. Everything seemed safe throughout the years. Morphina and her army of monsters went into hiding as her power dimmed with the coming of the zombie-tamer and the pirates. Soon, she'll be powerless and the world wll once more regain its fabled prosperity.  
  
Unless, Morphina wipes out the entire zombie-tamer bloodline completely before they have a chance to defeat her. Then, without the one power to defeat her, even the great and powerful Rayman will be brought to his knees as she takes over. Unfortunately, Morphina seemed to know about this. That's why she chose to act now...  
  
And so begins our story...  
  
  
  
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"Don't try to fight it, female. You just can't win..."  
  
  
  
A shrill cold cackle that pierced her soul came from behind her. She pivoted on her heels, her fiery red hair swirling behind her, hoping to face her fears. Nothing but the black layer of darkness that surrounded the area met her eye. She was surrounded by her darkest fear. The cloaked darkness was so thick she couldn't even see her own hands in front of her face. The evil creature will finally get to taste victory at last, but not without a struggle.  
  
  
  
"What's the matter, Ivy? Cat got your tongue?" the disembodied voice sneered at Ivy as it played with its prey. Ivy could feel her own cold sweat trickle down her back as she watched the darkness with her wary green eyes. Swallowing the bile that had risen to her throat, she shouted to the blackness that surrounded her.  
  
"Even if I die, Rayman could always take care of you, Morphina!" Ivy's voice cracked with unreleased anger and sadness as she shouted at her unseen enemy. There was a brief silence, before the voice that hid in the thick darkness laughed coldly at her fate.  
  
"Rayman can't touch me, Ivy. Even the great guardians, Rayman included, of our planet can't stop me. You read too many sappy fantasies in your spare time." A slimy tendril whipped out from under Ivy and tripped her. Ivy let out a small yelp in fright as she fell onto the floor. She scrapped her elbows against the rough rocks and soft earth of the Marshes of Awakening, her homeland. Ivy struggled to get up, only to feel the same tendril wrap around her left ankle and pull her upside down. Morphina was playing with her prey. Ivy felt herself being lifted up into the air. Ivy struggled to slip out of Morphina's grip, but it was as tight as a shackle's clamp. Ivy wiggled, trying to see something other than the shrouded darkness that Morphina liked to cloak herself in, but all she saw was pitch-black.  
  
"Goodbye, heir of the zombie-tamers!" Ivy felt the tendril's grip loosen, and she guessed that she was probably ten stories above the ground....  
  
  
  
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"Wake up already! It's almost ten in the morning, and you're still lying in bed!" Ivy cringed when she felt her brother's icy snicker against her ear. Startled and confused, Ivy opened her eyes. Instead of staring at the cloaked darkness of her enemy, she was staring face-to-face at a thatched bamboo ceiling. She turned her head, staring at her brother Davis's blue eyes, which were dancing with laughter. Great, Ivy thought as she sighed to herself. Was the whole fight against Morphina nothing but a dream?  
  
"Dad says that the house doesn't protect itself. He needs you to fix the barriers, to guard against ghouls and other fairy-tale nonsense." Davis said. Ivy pushed herself off her comfy goosedown bed with her elbows and gave her brother a dirty look.  
  
"We're not protecting against nonsense, Davis. Unless we were sleepwalking the day those swamp ghouls attacked!" Ivy accidently sent a shiver down her spine. Nothing was more painful than remembering the very day her mother was dragged kicking and screaming into the marshes by sharp-clawed monsters that only her parents knew were. Thankfully, the ghoul attacks seemed to decrease ever since Rayman destroyed the flying ship that Razorbeard owned, freed all the slaves, and returned the center of the earth to normal. However, there was always the slight chance that such monsters still stalked the land...  
  
"Whatever. See you outside, Ivy." Davis raced out of her room without any other thought. Ivy sighed to herself as she dragged herself out of bed and away from her memories. Strange. Dreams are usually not that vibrant...  
  
When she stood up, Ivy suddenly felt her left ankle pulse in pain. She bent down to rub it, only to see that it was badly-scratched. She inspected it gingerly with wonder and fright. Deep grooves ran in a complete circle from where Morphina's ghastly tendril had wrapped around her ankle in her dream. Quickly, Ivy checked her elbows for any scrapes and bruises that were inflicted during her dream battle against Morphina. Sure enough, her elbows were rubbed away, scraped, and dirty.  
  
"That wasn't any dream. I need to tell this to Dad..." Ivy quickly dashed out of her bedroom, her dream still fresh in her mind. Something told her in her gut that her life was going to change dramatically...  
  
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Outside, Ivy's nose was tickled by the foul smells of the marshes that she called her home. However, being raised in this environment made her immune to the stink that came from the swamp's waters. She ran to where her dad was working on the barrier that surrounded her family's house, which consisted of bramble, wires, pieces of spare wood, and piled stone. Simple as it looked, it was durable and strong and was protected by the power of some enchanted Silver Lums that Ivy's dad was supplied with by a passing fairy who took pity on the poor family. Not that Ivy has any idea what currency was. Everything that Ivy's family owned was hand-made or remains from when her grandparents migrated to the swamps.  
  
"I need to talk to you, Dad." Ivy said nervously, afraid that she'd disrupt his consentration as he pounded a stone in place with a worn-out hammer. Luckily, her father merely set the hammer down and turned to face her, his broad and bearded face smiling at his daughter.  
  
"What do you need to tell me? Did Davis place another swamp rat into your bed?" Ivy blushed.  
  
"No. It's more important than that..." she took a deep breath. "You see. Last night I had this dream." Ivy looked down at her feet. "Strange thing was, the whole thing was almost real. I was fighting a ghastly monster that called itself Morphina. It surrounded me with a cloak of darkness and toyed with me like a cat would toy with a cornered rat with a tendril that wrapped around my ankle. Before I woke up, it called me the heir of the zombie-tamers and dropped me from a high height. The strange thing is, my ankle and elbows were scratched like the whole battle was real. What's wrong with me?" Her Dad placed a strong hand on her shoulder.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with you, sweetie." her Dad cooed. "Your grandmother had the same problems..."  
  
  
  
"My grandmother? What do you mean, Dad?" Ivy asked. Her dad never mentioned her grandparents ever since her mom disappeared. Never changing his mood, her Dad pointed to a book that lay on the ground next to his other working tools. Ivy picked it up and dusted away the excess dirt. Worn letters appeared before her. "Monsters Throughout The Ages". Her dad always carried it with him when he was repairing monster damage or renovating barriers and traps.  
  
"What does this have to do with-" Ivy started, but never finished her sentence. She held the book gently in her hands as she stared at it's worn cover and lettering. Without being asked, she opened the book and was greeted with strange sketch illustrations and cursive writing. She stared deeply into the worn pages, her last material memory of her grandparents.  
  
"You see, Ivy," Ivy's father began. "Our family has been living in the Marshes of Awakening since your grandfather and grandmother migrated here to escape the depression that haunted their old lives and to start a new life in the solitude of the marshes. Your grandparents were happy of their choice, and they quickly became friends with the 'unique' neighbors they had. Sadly, not all of the people they met were friendly.  
  
"It wasn't long before your grandparents learned the name of a ghastly and merciless creature that stalked the marshes. Its very presence is cloaked with pitch-black darkness to confuse and cloak its prey and enemies. The creature was so horrible, that even the mighty guardians and even Admiral Razorbeard steered clear from it. It became known as the infamous Morphina, keeper of the dead and sworn enemy of the living." Ivy flipped the pages of the book carefully as her dad narrated. The sketch pictures interested her.  
  
"Morphina has powerful magic strengths and properties that no one has yet to match during this age. Besides the fact that she (the gender was later learned by many unfortunate souls) can change into whatever form she wants to, she can bind the souls of members in both the living and the spirit worlds, making them serve her with as much hatred and spite as herself."  
  
"Why are you telling me this, father? What does it have to do with my dream?" Ivy asked as she thumbed the book in her hands.  
  
"Because what you saw last night was not a dream; you were having a vision of dangers to come. I have to tell you this because your mother waited until it was too late for any lessons on your powers." Her dad pointed a finger at her. "You are what many people would call a zombie-tamer, just like your mother and her mother before her. When Morphina's name was learned by your grandparents, the Ancients gave them the chance of a lifetime. She granted them and their expected relatives that would come after them the power to bind souls like the evil Morphina, and to free cursed souls as well."  
  
  
  
"Really? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"  
  
  
  
"Your mother wanted to wait until you came of age, but she waited too little too late. That's why you need to learn to use your power soon." "Can you teach me?" Ivy knew that her father wouldn't lie about all this. He had to know how to use this binding soul stuff.  
  
"No, I can't. However," Her Dad pointed to "Monsters Throughout The Ages" that was still being held casually by Ivy. "You can take that with you as a guide, and a passport into the Cave of Bad Dreams."  
  
  
  
"Cave of Bad Dreams? Why there?" Ivy shouted. To her, this explanation was going nowhere. She also knew that the Cave of Bad Dreams wasn't a place for a fifteen year old to hang out.  
  
"Sadly, I was never passed the powers, seeing as the zombie-tamers are on your mom's side of the family, but the Guardian of the Cave of Bad Dreams can teach you the basics of your powers in record-time. That is, if you just show him the book beforehand." He pointed to the gate that guarded the entrance to the household. "This is all that I can tell you. You must hurry, for if your vision tells you that Morphina and you will cross paths soon, then she will act as quickly as possible. Pack some rations, and then leave this place without any trace that you were here!" Ivy nodded to her father and, with the old book still in her hands, ran into the house to pack for the journey of the lifetime.  
  
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"Are you sure you saw monsters here, Sssam?" Rayman leaped from tree root to tree root, following his purple snake friend through the marshes as quickly as possible. It was now two months since Rayman had destroyed Razorbeard's slave ship and found all 1,000 lums, so Rayman was more than a little skeptical about monster sightings now. He scanned the swamps as he kept one hand on Sssam's scarf, just in case he would lose his footing. His other hand was curled into a fist. "I mean, monsters like zombie chickens and giant piranhas are long gone, now that Razorbeard is gone. There's no need to worry about anything now!"  
  
  
  
"Hissss....I wouldn't think so Rayman. These marshes are not as ordinary as, say The Woods of Light. Ssstrange things happen here." The snake glided throught the water without making a noise. His tongue flickered uneasily as he too scanned the region. Rayman sighed, but he still followed his friend. Inside, he couldn't believe the fact that ghouls still dwelled somewhere other than the two nightmare prisons Pokolus created a long time ago.  
  
"Don't worry Sssam, I believe you. I never did like these marshes." Sssam glared at him with a you're-talking-about-my-home-here-pal look on his face. "I don't mean that personally!" Rayman quickly retorted. "This climate is ideal for all kinds of ghouls. There's no telling what you'd run into here..."  
  
  
  
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As the two friends traveled through the swamps, a young fifteen year old with fiery red hair, piercing green eyes, and a leather knapsack on her shoulder crept carefully towards the direction to the entrance to the Cave of Bad Dreams. Ivy smiled hopelessly to herself as she tiptoed on the poisoned dirt and rocks of her homeland. Let's just hope that she will learn to harness her 'powers' under the instruction of Jano. She clutched the book to her chest as avoided the poisonous water. If she lost the book, Jano will probably send her away.  
  
Or worse.  
  
Little did she know that she won't cross the paths of Morphina alone. The Ancients made sure that Fate will also cause the young teenager to cross paths with the greatest hero of them all...  
  
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End of Chapter 1.  
  
  
  
  
  
Remember to review! Chapter two will be up as fast as I can. ^_^ 


	2. Awkward Meetings

Awkward Meetings  
  
Disclaimers: This might spoil the story's plot a little, but I will mention that certain characters from Rayman's 1st game titled 'Rayman' will be used and/or mentioned. I will also add little song lyrics from time to time (Not into the story's plot, mind you. I don't want this to turn into a Song Fic.) to kind of set the mood for the story. I don't own any of these songs. *cringes* Don't sue!  
  
Notes: If anyone wants their characters to play a part in my story, you can e-mail me. All you have to do is send me their bios. (personality, hair- color, age, background, etc.) Talk about desperate.  
  
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So suffocate  
  
or get out while you can.  
  
No one told you to come.  
  
I hope it sucks you down.  
  
----The Swamp Song-----  
  
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"Where's the girl?"  
  
As Ivy traveled to her new destination through the swamps, her family wasn't doing so good without her presence. It seemed that Ivy left at just the right time, for two cloaked figures had attacked the Thorn household just a couple minutes after her absence. Pierce, Ivy's father, gasped for breath as a figure wrapped in a green hunter's cloak pinned him to the wall of his house. Another cloaked person, this one with a dark purple cloak that resembled a mage's robe, had a good hold of a whimpering Davis just beside Pierce. The poor boy didn't even have to will to speak. The person holding Pierce spoke to him again, only sharper. "Answer me, you swampsucker!" The creature pounded Pierce against the wall. "Answer me or my 'pets' will answer for you."  
  
  
  
"I will never help you two. I have more dignity than to help victims of Morphina's soul-binding magic." Pierce's comment was answered by a round of laughter from both figures. The cloaked person that held Davis threw back its hood with a jerk of its head, revealing the head of a white-tinted wolf furry with amber eyes and purple facepaint that trailed underneath her ears like ancient runes carved into her face. Her muzzle curled into a smile.  
  
"Listen bottomfeeder, we're helping Morphina of our own free will. She trusts us because we like the power she gives us." the wolf replied smoothly with a chrisp tenor voice. She sniffed. "Let's just finish the job here, Agent B.R. This place stinks even worse than the swamp."  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, Freya. This will only take a second." Agent B.R. kept Pierce pinned with one hand, and pulled out a sharp dagger from underneath his cloak with the other. Pierce let out a small gasp. "You have one more chance, marshdweller. Tell me where the girl went!" B.R. pressed the dagger to Pierce's right cheek until it cut him.  
  
"I have no need to repeat myself. I will never tell anything to the likes of you!" Pierce lowered his voice into a growl. Agent B.R. mumbled at the stubborn human, but then shrugged. "Oh well." It took only a few seconds before the dagger's silver blade was thrust into Pierce's exposed stomach in a flash of grey. Smiling, B.R. left his victim fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Blood darkened the floorboards under Pierce as the last of his life left his body.  
  
  
  
"Why'd you do that for?" Freya asked, her amber eyes clouded with confusion. "He could've been put under servitude by Morphina!" B.R. seathed his dripping blade back into his cloak. Two yellow eyes glowed like fire from underneath the hood.  
  
"That's what the boy's for. Use your mind, dog-brain." Agent B.R. snapped. Freya growled at this insult, but she still kept her hold on Davis, who was now silently sobbing in both fear and despair. "Yes, the man could've had some information on him, but this kid is pulsating with magic power. It's not as strong as the female, but he could have some potential as a follower." He turned to Freya. "Summon the zombie chickens. They can carry the boy to his fate."  
  
  
  
Freya nodded. She brought a paw to her jaw and whistled so crisp and loud that it vibrated off the house's walls. When the note subsided, three clawed zombie chickens followed to her command. They cackled in their own sharp garbled language as Freya handed Davis to them and gave them instructions in the same tongue that they spoke in. "I'm so glad that Morphina gave us these zombie chickens. Imagine the lower back pain I'd have to go through by carrying this little sucker."  
  
  
  
"Would've done you some good, Freya." Agent B.R. hissed as the two of them walked out of the now empty Thorn household. They stood in front of the petty barrier that was supposed to keep out visitors like them, now torn and stripped of its magic. "The poor swampscum didn't even know how to put up a proper barrier." Kicking away a piece of charred wood, Agent B.R, with Freya and her flock of zombie chickens, walked out of the household's property. "It's such a shame that we didn't get the location of the female from that marshdweller."  
  
"We don't need it now." Freya commented. She stopped and bent down low to the ground to rub the dirt away from a fresh footprint. "I've found the girl's trail. It's still fresh, and judging by how deep these are, she's going at a slow pace."  
  
  
  
"Why didn't you find that out sooner?" Agent B.R. fumed. "You are a member of the canine family. Why couldn't you just sniff her out like the dog you are?"  
  
  
  
"This swamp stinks and irritates my allergies, and the girl was smart enough to cover her scent with the stuff hunters use when killing animals with a good sense of smell." Freya looked into the distance. "Besides, I don't think a fragile doll like her would get very far in this swamp. With our sense of direction, we can catch up to her in due speed." Agent B.R. nodded. Davis tried to scream for help, but the zombie chickens kept him held tightly under the commands of their master Freya. Davis finally shut up after Freya bound his mouth shut with a piece of torn cloth.  
  
  
  
"You're right. She won't know what hit her with a couple of surperb and speedy trackers such as ourselves." He grinned underneath his concealing hood.  
  
"Morphina will be pleased...."  
  
---------------  
  
Ivy walked at a slow pace, looking at each landmark for a clue on where she was. Although she tried to hide it, Ivy was hopelessly lost. Sighing to herself, the poor teenager sat down on a mossy stump in the middle of a circle of short shrubs. "I wish that I was more interested in Dad's silly old maps. Then I'd probably know where this Jano-guy was." She brushed a tendril of dirty red hair from her vision. "I hope he isn't some kind of hermit who lives out in the middle of nowhere." She opened the book of 'Monsters Throughout the Ages' to its title page. Inside, she saw the signatures of her grandparents, along with a few names she didn't recognize. She traced her fingers across the ink that made up her grandmother's handwriting.  
  
"I wish you were here right now." She got up from her seat on the stump, holding the book like it was a precious piece of treasure. Once again, she scanned the surroundings. Strange, she thought. Why is everything so quiet? She listened for any sounds in the swamp. Nothing, not even the croaking of frogs or the cawing of crows. "I've got a bad feeling about this." she whispered. Suddenly, she heard a splash of water off in the distance. It sounded like it was only a few feet away, but then again the deep silence made the smallest sounds vibrate throughout the marshes. She sucked in a rushed breath of air, and held her ground. She felt cold sweat trickle from her forehead as she took out a leather pocket knife from her knapsack.  
  
"Show yourself!" she shouted. "I'm not afraid of you!" She heard a hiss pound through the marshes, so close that it hovered in her ears. Ivy saw a flash of movement in the shrubs next to her. As quick as humanly possible, Ivy pinned down the thing that was moving in her line of sight to the ground with her pocket-knife. To her surprise, the thing that she attacked turned out to be a bright red scarf. She felt a jerk from the scarf, and she saw that it was connected to a large purple swamp snake. She yelped in surprise as she saw the snake stare at her with large ebony eyes. The creature struggled under her still-holding grip. She killed swamp snakes before, but this one seemed.....intelligent somehow. Suddenly, the snake started to speak in plain English.  
  
"Help! I'm being attacked!" Ssssam, the swamp snake, cried. Before Ivy knew what happened, she was sent flying by a strong blow to her stomach. She fell down on her back onto the dirt a just a few feet away from where she was originally standing. Coughing up blood, Ivy struggled to get back on her feet again. When she did, she saw the great guardian in all of his glory, and he didn't look happy. One of his elegant gloved hands was curled into a fist, and another held her pocket knife. His face had a look that could curdle milk.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Rayman demanded. Ivy heard Sssam the snake shout something along the lines of "I bet she's behind the strange stuff lately!" behind him. Ivy brushed the dirt away from her clothes and held up her hands to show that she wasn't dangerous. She didn't want to meet the anger of someone as powerful as Rayman. After all, he did destroy the Grolgoth and the evil Mr. Dark in his past adventures. She didn't wanted to be labeled as an enemy.  
  
"I mean no harm. I was a little jumpy, and I thought your friend was a threat to me." Ivy explained. "I didn't even harm him. I only attacked his scarf with my knife. I just thought that he was someone..." She paused, for a lack of a better word. "....else..."  
  
"Like who?" Rayman asked. He lowered his fist, and his face seemed to soften. Now he was expressing a look of somewhat distrusting concern.  
  
"Well," Ivy rubbed the back of her neck, which was now raw and somewhat bleeding from the blow Rayman gave her earlier. "I've been trying to seek Jano, the guardian of the Cave of Bad Dreams. You see, Dad told me that only he could train me to get rid of Morphina."  
  
"Morphina? Yeeeek!" Sssam curled into a shivering heap by Rayman's feet like an injured kitten at the mention of Morphina. Rayman looked down at his friend, and then let his gaze wander towards Ivy. "Who is this Morphina?" Rayman asked to both Sssam and Ivy. Sssam didn't feel like answering, and Ivy didn't know much about the topic herself. The redhead shrugged hopelessly, and Rayman sighed to himself. There was a long silence, before Ivy pointed to his hand.  
  
"Can I have my pocket knife back?" Ivy asked. Rayman, forgetting that he still clutched the tool, tossed it to her. She caught it gracefully. "Sorry I'm not much of a help. I don't know much about Morphina myself. All I know is that she's a dark mage that has the power to make anyone her slave with the use of soul-binding powers." Rayman nodded, and started to reflect on how Morphina's powers sounded like the mind-control machine that inslaved Clark in the Tomb of the Ancients. "Go on...." Rayman coaxed. "Okay. She can also turn into anything she wants, and she's one of the oldest demons in the entire world history."  
  
  
  
"You forgot to m-mention that ssshe's bad!" Sssam whimpered underneath them. Ivy looked down at Sssam. "He's not much of a swamp snake, is he?" Ivy commented. Sssam, somewhat offended, rose from his shiveling stance. "I may not be much of a fighter, but at leassst I don't get lost in these ssswamps!" Ivy growled at this comment. So, this little snake was spying on me, she thought. She fingered the pocket knife in her hand. He has enough skin on him to make a purse, Ivy thought evilly.  
  
"If you want," Rayman added, noticing the fire in the duo's eyes and hoping to break up the feud between the girl and the snake. "I can take you to the entrance of the Cave of Bad Dreams." Ivy turned to meet Rayman's gaze. Her eyes danced with joy. "Really?" she squeaked with excitement. Rayman merely nodded. "The place is a short walk from here. If we hurry, we can catch Jano in a better mood than when I first met him."  
  
"Why are we helping her?" Sssam whined, casting a dark glance at Ivy. "She does know what in Polokus's name is going on, and she does know a thing or two about this Morphina gal." He looked at Sssam. "You can go off on your own, Sssam. If that's what you want...." The purple snake shook it head. "No! I will help my friend through thick and thin, no matter how bad the company is!" Sssam hissed. Ivy frowned, knowing that the last part of the comment was an insult directed towards her.  
  
"Well, I guess that settles it then." Rayman held out his palm to Ivy. "I'm sorry I gave you such a blow earlier. When people hurt my friends, I tend to get just a little...touchy..." Ivy gripped his hand and shook it firmly in a form of friendship. "It's okay. I'm like that too, Rayman." Ivy stated. After they were finished with the handshake, Rayman made Ivy to the same thing to Sssam to seal the deal. She grabbed the tip of his tail and shook a bit hesitantly, for she still didn't trust the snake's fine-pointed teeth and his midnight eyes glaring at her. After the deal was sealed, Rayman appointed himself as the leader of the group.  
  
Ivy smiled to herself as she followed her new leader through the swamps, Sssam watching her untrustingly by her side. She glared at the violet snake with emerald eyes as she continued to think to herself. After this short little quest was over, she couldn't wait until she told Dad and her brother Davis about her new friends.  
  
Oh well, what you don't know won't hurt you, right?  
  
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As Rayman and his crew traveled through the marshes, Agent B.R. and Freya hurried with their bounty to where Morphina told them to meet her. Davis squirmed as the spell-bound zombie chickens carried him like he was a sack of potatoes. He remembered his father dying at the hands of Agent B.R. Whatever the costs were, he hoped that Ivy didn't meet the same fate as Pierce Thorn. Davis managed to undo the cloth bandana tied around his mouth as the sinister group slid across the swamp.  
  
"Do you two happen to know a female named Rosemary Thorn?" Davis asked, mostly to Freya who was running right by him. Some inside voice told him that his mother Rosemary Thorn met her fate at the hands of these two. The wolf furry turned to him.  
  
"Hey! How did ya undo-"  
  
"Answer me, you flea-ridden excuse for a fur! If you don't answer me, I'll skin you like the dog you are!" Davis snapped, so loudly that the even Agent B.R. and the servitude zombies halted in their tracks. Freya drew back her paw, ready to slap the ignorant human across the mouth, when the enigmatic Agent stopped her. "Just answer his question, Freya. It won't do him any good anyways." Freya considered this, and relaxed. She smirked evilly.  
  
"Rosemary Thorn rings a bell. I think she was your mother, right?" Davis nodded. Freya continued. "About five or so months ago, Morphina ordered us to cripple the oppenent's power by taking the eldest holder of the power and sapping her of her power...." she saw the look on Davis' face. "...and her free will." Davis mouthed the word 'no' silently. "So I, along with a couple of zombie chickens and Ogres, dragged Rosemary away from her family and put her under servitude like the rest of Morphina's captives. Somehow, Morpina knew that Rosemary's children didn't know how to use their powers yet. Now, they have no way of learning anything unless they consult the knowledge of Jano."  
  
"Jano?" Davis asked. Good, Ivy still has a chance, Davis thought.  
  
"Yes. He's the Guardian of the Cave of Bad Dreams. However, I wouldn't give in to false hope. Morphina made sure that Jano is among her first targets. Your sister doesn't stand a chance." After that, Freya rebound Davis with a tighter bound and the group hurried away once more.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
End of Chapter 2  
  
  
  
Morphina will appear in the next chapter. Please be patient. (She's an traveling enigma, not one of those sit-on-their-butts-while-the-commanders- do-the-work types.)  
  
In case you didn't know, furries (like Freya) are half-human, half-animal creatures. If that's too hard for you to imagine, look at all the walking, talking, clothes-wearing animals in cartoons, books, video games, etc.  
  
Sorry for the delay. I had to take a trip to my relatives for the weekend. -__-  
  
Don't forget to review! _ 


	3. An Unforgiving Past and An Uncertain Fut...

An Unforgiving Past and An Uncertain Future  
  
Disclaimers: You know the drill. I only own the characters that came from my imagination, and not from Ubi Soft or someone else's daydreams. The fancharacters named Donnia "Nia" Starhunter and Rex "Drac" Skyler are copyrighted by Ryoko D, who gave me permission to use them. If you sue me, you'll only get a bag of stale gummy bears and seventy five cents.  
  
Notes: This chapter will focus mainly on Morphina's plans and the dark secret that one of her Commanders hold. It's longer than the other two. Please don't complain. -__-  
  
---------------------------------  
  
It's close to Midnight,  
  
And something evil's lurking in the dark.  
  
Under the moonlight,  
  
You see a sight that almost stops your heart.  
  
---Thriller---  
  
---------------------------------  
  
"Why are we seeing Morphina instead of following the zombie-slayer girl and slay her by ourselves?" The mismatched group of cloak, wolf, zombie, and human were now in the security of Morphina's hideout. It took some rune- decoding, password-deciphering, and a lot of muddy swamp-wading, but luckily the group knew enough to pass Morphina's security. After all, they were among her most trusted commanders in her legion. The Agent beside Freya glared at her with sharp, yellow eyes. "We know where the girl is heading for. Morphina recalled us here for our next commands. You should use that brain of yours once in a while!"  
  
They stood in front of the entrance, waiting to be escorted by the usual pack of spell-bound slaves to Morphina's Lair. Unlike most hordes, Morphina's army never settled into one place for very long, mostly to throw off her enemies from tracking her down. At this moment of time, Morphina and her followers resided in a tall dead oak in the middle of the Bayou. On the outside it looked like an ordinary tree, but a whole army of zombies, slaves, captives, and followers waited for their next order. Faint pulses of magic protected the temporary fortress from sudden attacks and the foul decay of the Bayou. "Morphina lives in a tree?" Davis obviously didn't know about how Morphina ran things, but he did know how to undo Freya's bandanas. A quick slap across the face for badmouthing Morphina and another bandana across his mouth was his only answer.  
  
Right after Freya was finished tying the bandana around the hapless kid's mouth, a group of spell-bound creatures greeted them led by a free-willing worker. The spell-bound creatures included some humans, orcs, and swamp snakes; the usual working squad in these conditions. The commander of the spell-bound creatures was a frog like Globox, only his skin was a deep black instead of the bright blue that Globox was. "Any new reports, Commander?" Freya asked casually. The frog shook his head. "The usual stuff, Freya. Nothing new happened, except that two of our slaves managed to break the servitude spell that Morphina cast upon them." Freya and Agent B.R. both looked shocked. Davis snickered quietly.  
  
"Morphina's magic is foolproof! How can they have escaped?" Agent B.R. scowled. The frog commander shrugged. "Morphina had removed the spell from their minds for a short time. She hoped that the four months of servitude with her managed to beat her ways into their system. They were fine, for a while. After about five days, the two trouble-makers spring loose from their duty." "Did they take any hostages with them?" Freya asked. The commander shook his head once more. "No. They ran through the security system and just stole some rations for the trip. All of the commanders, including me, thought that they were in a hurry to get a job done. We knew how good they were at performing jobs in the past, servitude or otherwise." "What species were they, Commander?" Agent B.R. questioned. "They were human, and pretty good spell-casters also. *not as good as Morphina though* They zapped us with everything they had. Luckily, Morphina managed to put out the fires they caused with their magic."  
  
Agent B.R. shrugged. "Ah well, accidents happen. They won't survive in these swamp conditions; no need to track them down!" With a quick laugh, the discussion was brushed aside a little too hasty for comfort. The Commander frog gave the signal, and the escorts led the bounty hunters to where Morphina was staying at the moment. They traveled under a single knothole carved large enough to fit a young dragon, but it still looked natural enough to throw off trackers. Inside, the tree was carved with many different knotches and levels like a skyscraper made of wood. Underneath the group's feet was the dungeon, where captives not yet spell-bound were kept. To their left was a large colony of spiral staircases that acted like the elevators for the skyscraper in the tree. One led down, while the rest led up. The staircases were big enough for seven humans traveling side-to- side to walk down without bumping into the walls. To their right was the food storage. It reeked of beef jerky and fruit, but it was enough to feed everyone in the army and more.  
  
"Come with me." The frog instructed. Freya and Agent B.R. nodded, and the servitude bound slaves along with their masters hurried up the spiral stairs through several levels of the tree. They had past nine levels when they finally reached Morphina's room. Her room that she stayed in consisted of a large table, some shackles hanging on the wall, a few candles, and some living chickens in a coop for sacrificial and zombie chicken purposes. Davis could easily tell that she was the power behind the army the moment he saw her. Davis couldn't tell whether the human spell-caster form that she took was her true form or just a disguise. If it was a disguise, it was a pretty darn good one. She stood tall and proud, with smooth black hair that trailed down her spine like smooth silk. Her clothes were of the dark purple robes that most spell-casters wear. Her eyes were a dark purple, hidden under long lashes. For some odd trick of the light, every shadow in the room surrounded her feet like a loyal puppy waiting for its next orders.  
  
"I'm been expecting you two, Freya and Agent B.R." Morphina's voice was seductive and beautiful, the kind that made hearts melt. The three commanders, Freya, Agent B.R., and the frog, bowed down to her on one knee. The captives under the spell, excluding Freya's zombie chickens, did the same thing. Davis watched wide-eyed as Morphina paced quietly towards Freya's bounty. He watched as Morphina traveled across the room until she was standing only a few feet in front of him. The zombie chickens holding him cackled in approval as their true master stopped before them. Morphina examined Davis like a butcher would examine a piece of meat. A sadistic grin spread across her face. Not a good sign for Davis.  
  
"I can read your mind, boy. You are worried about your sister Ivy." Morphina's casual voice made a shiver run down Davis's spine. He trembled slightly in fear and tension as Morphina ordered the zombies to let him go with a quick hand movement. Everyone, including the zombies and captives, backed away like frightened hens as Morphina gently got a hold on Davis's arm and dragged him to the shackles hanging alongside the wall like pieces of dangling rope. She hooked his ankles to the bottom shackles, and his wrists to the top shackles. They kept him secure in place. "I may not have mind-reading powers as focused as Jano," Morphina spat out the name like it was sour to her taste buds. "but I can sense your anger and fear for me. I heard from Freya and Agent B.R. that you are Rosemary's son. Am I correct?"  
  
  
  
Davis knew that Morphina already knew the answer, but he nodded solemnly anyways. "That means that you are a zombie-tamer. I can taste your power flowing through you. You have potential, kid. Sadly, you didn't learn from your mother about how to focus your powers enough to cause a threat to me." She ran a blood-colored fingernail down his cheek. It managed to draw blood but Davis didn't cry out, instead he merely glared at Morphina in rage. If looks could kill, Davis would've caused a massacre in the room. "Your rage against me is alarming for a young boy. You have spunk, kid."  
  
  
  
"Morphina," Freya called out. "When will you tell us your next orders?" Morphina turned her head to the white furred wolf. Her eyes flashed a dark blue in amusement. "After I'm finished with this boy, Freya. You can wait in downstairs in your bedroom until I send for you again." "But the girl!" "The girl will have to rest during the night sooner or later. 'Only a fool would walk through the marshes at night' the wive's tale tells. That's when we strike. You two deserve the rest anyways." At her words, Freya, and Agent B.R. left the room. The captives and the frog commander followed, leaving Davis alone with only Morphina and the sacrificial chickens for company. He felt sweat slide down his spine as she paced in front of him like a caged leopard.  
  
"You're a very lucky boy, Davis. At first, I was going to kill you and feed my zombies with your carcass, but now I see the potential in you." Davis glared at her, his eyes sparkling red with rage. "You're gonna use me against Ivy in your plot! You already killed my parents! What else do you need to do to us?" This shout out only caused Morphina to smile even wider, showing animal-like canines. "I didn't kill your mother, Davis. I've enslaved her and zapped her of her powers." "How can you, you evil witch? Mom's magic runs in her blood!" Davis shouted again. "I have many powers you don't know I have. If I focus enough energy in a single given time, I can do amazing things to people. I bet Rosemary can't summon her magic in the state she's in." Davis gazed at her wide-eyed.  
  
"You.....didn't..." Davis started, but the words couldn't form under his mouth. Morphina giggled like a cheerful schoolgirl. "Now that the small talk is finished, time to make do with you." She placed a freshly scented hand on top of Davis's forehead. Davis gasped inwardly was he felt his body become numb. Morphina was binding his soul to her orders, just like what she did to everyone else. Magical electricity surged through his veins as Morphina performed her spell. Blood trickled down his nostrils and ears like someone had hit him with lightning. Suddenly, Davis felt all of his senses dim. His eyesight blurred, his hearing faded, and all of his thoughts vanished completely. One command was forced into his head; 'You must obey me'. Davis tried to force the thought away, but his senses wouldn't respond. They felt like they no longer belonged to him. Morphina undid the shackles with fast reflexes. She needed to test out the binding spell before she gave him more orders.  
  
"Come to me." Morphina replied. Davis paused, his mind trying to fight the spell, but his body didn't listen. He took a few steps towards Morphina and stopped to stand only a few inches in front of her. Morphina was pleased. Her servitude spells never failed. "Tell me about Ivy. What does she look like?" Her voice was commanding. Davis didn't resist the spell this time. He told her the answer in complete monotone. "She has green eyes, long red hair, and she has a slight tan. She's also very tall and skinny." Morphina quickly took notes inwardly as she heard the information. She wasn't chasing a mere descendant named Ivy anymore. Now, she had a mental picture of what she looked like.  
  
Freya and Agent B.R. will have no problems tracking her down anymore.  
  
------------------------------  
  
Freya sat herself down on the warm bed sheets in her 'bedroom', which was really nothing more than tree space reserved for Morphina's best commanders to sleep in instead of sleeping in the musty dungeons like the prisoners and spell-bound captives. The place consisted of some scattered moldy bunk beds and some portable tents. Freya happened to share a tattered bunk bed with her partner Agent B.R. Her partner was now taking a short nap on the top bunk to restore his energy, still wearing his forest cloak. She watched the other commanders go by with their chores impassively as she carved a sculpture out of a piece of wood with her hunting dagger. It didn't have a shape, but it gave her paws something to do. Her three zombie chickens cackled from their post next to the bed as they watched her. Without orders, they were as docile as kittens. Freya ignored her pets as she stripped the wood with her dagger.  
  
"You seem tense." Freya dropped the shapeless wood in surprise. Agent B.R. was standing near her. She hated it when he performed his sleuth tricks against her just to see her jump in fright. "No, I'm not tense! I'm just bored, that's all. I'm sick and tired of waiting for Morphina's orders." She sheathed the dagger with one fluid movement of her paw and glared at the Agent with angry brown eyes. There was a silence between them for about five heartbeats, with only the bored clicks the zombie chickens made being the only sound. Freya finally broke the silence.  
  
"How come you never take that cloak off? It's not like you have nothing to hide under there." Freya asked, not having anything better to do. Agent B.R. backed away from her as if she had just said something horrible. Judging from the movement of his body, the Agent was offended. Freya smiled. She never saw Agent B.R. act offended or scared ever since she first met him. She felt kind of sorry for bringing the subject up, but her wild side took this as an opportunity to have some fun. The wild side won in the end.  
  
  
  
"Come on, Agent B.R! Show me what you're hiding!" she pleaded like a little child. Agent B.R. stood his ground. Some of their roommates looked up from their work and towards their direction in surprise. "Cut it out, Freya! It's not funny!" Agent B.R. shouted. Freya's chicken zombies and some more of the commanders suddenly became interested in the little feud that Freya created. Freya's eyes danced with laughter at the sight of Agent B.R. refusing. To her, this was oodles of fun. Agent B.R. slightly wanted to unsheathe his hunting knife but wounding Freya with a knife would only make Morphina and the other commanders mad. He had to spare his dignity while Freya threw hers away.  
  
"Let me see what you're hiding!" With amazing speed, Freya leapt from the bed and pinned Agent B.R. to the ground before he could react. At this point of time, Freya's little game caught the attention of everyone in the room. Spell-bound captives, zombies, and commanders alike watched the pair. Freya didn't notice the gathering crowd. With a quick sweep, she yanked the cloak off of Agent B.R. and revealed what he was really hiding. The room became silent; even the zombies and the spell-bound captives ceased every noise. Silence hung in the room like a bad odor.  
  
Freya froze and immediately felt stupid for her actions. Agent B.R. looked exactly like Rayman, except for major color differences. His hair was a reddish purple and his skin had a sickening grey tone to it. He wore an outfit and a bandana that was exactly like Rayman's, complete with the white oval marking, only his outfit was dark-blue instead of purple and his bandana was purple. His eyes were a glowing pupiless yellow color and were the kind that would mesmerize anyone who stared into them for too long. He even wore white gloves on his hands and light blue sneakers on his feet like Rayman. Freya got off of him slowly, moving like she was in a trance.  
  
"Agent B.R....I never meant to..." Freya tried to explain to her friend, but her words echoed off the wooden walls without an answer. Agent B.R. rose from where Freya had knocked him down, but he didn't pay her any notice. Instead, he got up to grab his cloak from where Freya dropped it. Everyone in the room backed away, wondering if Agent B.R. had the same explosive powers as his counterpart. Freya watched from where she was now rooted on the ground as her partner glanced around the bedroom to see who saw them. When he saw that every commander on the floor had seen them, he turned his head to Freya. He glared at her with menacing yellow eyes. Freya and his eyes met. There was an angry silence that lasted for about seven heartbeats. He was going to kill her for this.  
  
Every commander that watched them began to file out of the room. Now that they knew Agent B.R.'s true identity, he was now labeled as dangerous as a lit fuse in a room of dynamite. The more blood-thirsty commanders filed out rather reluctantly but others forced the lingering ones out. The servitude captives ran with their masters, and the zombie chickens, being bound by the necks with chains, did their best to hide themselves from view. It was only Freya and Agent B.R. in the room. "Why did you do that?" Agent B.R. hissed, his voice laced with liquid venom and a small hint of grief. "My reputation is ruined because of you." Freya started to scoot away from her partner as she saw him curl both hands into fists. He was going to kill her right here on the spot, all because of a little game she played all out of boredom. She cursed her foolishness out loud. But, instead of feeling the fiery pain of someone hitting her with their fists, she only heard some choked sobs. Freya got out from her unladylike stance to see why he wasn't beating her into a bloody pulp. She saw the answer. As much as Freya had hurt him just a few moments ago, even Agent B.R. drew the line at violence he dealt. Hurting the white wolf-furry would only lower his rank even further, and maybe even cost him his free will.  
  
"I'm sorry, Agen-" "Don't call me that anymore! Just call me by my real name, Bad-Rayman, now. Now you know why I don't take the cloak off, you stupid animal." Agent B.R. choked out. He was hanging his head low. Geez, Freya thought, that stupid cloak meant his whole reputation to him. I've hurt him bad. "Bad-Rayman? You mean, you're the supposed clone of Rayman that Mr. Dark created quite a few years ago?" Bad-Rayman nodded. He was now sitting on the floor, hugging his cloak towards him like an infant holding its favorite blanket. "But, Rayman supposedly destroyed Bad-Rayman so many years ago after he destroyed Mr. Dark. Why are you still alive?"  
  
"When Mr. Dark created me so many years ago, he designed me to be nothing more than a puppet used to defeat Rayman once and for all. He made sure that I shared the same brain waves as him. I felt his feelings, knew just what he was thinking, and even shared his memories. When Rayman defeated me, Mr. Dark just forgot about me like a kid's used toy. Mr. Dark's early defeat gave me my own will. Sure, everything I shared with Rayman disappeared, but I was just glad to be rid of him. After Rayman saved the world, he had shared the story of the battle against his 'shadow'. Soon, I was known as 'Rayman's shadow', making people avoid me like a plague. I couldn't go living without everybody avoiding me, so I acquired a cloak. When I had a cloak, everyone pretty much ignored my presence. I learned to use a knife and how to sneak around just in case somebody wanted to steal from me. More time passed, and I ran into Morphina in the middle of a dark alley. She seemed to sense my horrible past. She even promised me a place where I could leave without fear of revealment. Four months later, you arrived and she assigned us to be partners. But, once everyone in Morphina's legion know that I'm Rayman's 'shadow', we probably won't be partners anymore. I probably won't even have my free will anymore. My reputation's ruined." Freya listened to his whole life story from her spot on the floor. Despite all this, she tried to cheer him up.  
  
"Your reputation doesn't matter, as long as you have me." Freya stated cheerfully. "Morphina doesn't care what in Polokus's name you are, she only gets mad if you don't do your job. You need to stop worrying about your past and get a hold of your future." "If I have a future..." "Come on, Agen- *cough*-Bad-Rayman, you're not acting like yourself. You used to not care about anything. If Morphina see you worrying now while we're so close to victory, she'll dig you an early grave." Freya held out her paw and pulled Bad-Rayman from his seat on the ground. "Put back on the silly cloak. Something tells me that most of the commanders don't have a sharp memory anyways. By tomorrow, this whole little scenario will be forgotten." Bad- Rayman smiled at her warmly.  
  
"You're right, Freya. I shouldn't hang over my past." He slipped on the cloak as quick as possible. The cloak didn't give him the mysterious edge he once had, but it did keep his appearance hidden like always. Freya undid the bounds to the neck collars of her zombies. The two partners were tired of waiting, so they were going to get a head-start on their work, orders or no orders.  
  
"Besides, we have a girl to capture!"  
  
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"Tell me about this Jano guy. Is he....pleasant?" Ivy hopped from one rotten log to another, following Rayman with the dexterity of a antelope. Rayman, needless to say, was amused at Ivy's acrobats over the piranha- infested waters. They were now at the entrance of the Cave of Bad Dreams. It wouldn't be long before they met Jano, the Guardian of the Cave of Bad Dreams. Ivy was excited, but she didn't want to run into someone with a bad temper after being assaulted by Rayman earlier. Sssam slithered close behind Rayman, angry that his friend had to side with a human girl that tried to gut him like a fish. He hissed in half-anger half-suspicion as they continued up the large tree root that led to the entrance.  
  
"He's pleasant, once you get to know him. Whatever you do, don't try to upset him." Rayman answered to Ivy. Ivy jumped off a sinking piece of driftwood to land right beside Rayman. Sssam rolled his eyes, but said nothing more. "Oh I see. He's a lot like you." This comment made Rayman blush slightly. "Erm...Yes, in a way. Just don't get him angry. Believe me, once he's angry, he could snap you like a twig." Ivy felt a shiver run down her spine at this statement. Great, Ivy thought. I'm going to meet someone with a lot of strength to spare.  
  
The odd trio passed under a knothole in the tree, leading into the Entrance of the Cave of Bad Dreams. Ivy stood by the entrance in shock of what she saw before them. She thought that she had stepped into a nightmare. "Yiiiiikes!!!!" Ivy lost all shred of courage as she stood face-to-face with Jano. She had expected him to be some wise old hermit, not some round green creature with a skull-headed staff, a purple top hat, a mouth full of gleaming sharp teeth, and a single yellow eye. Ivy quickly hid behind Rayman and Sssam. Rayman turned his head to meet the shivering teenager behind him.  
  
"T-That's Jano?" squeaked Ivy. Rayman answered with a nod and a plain yes. At this comment, Ivy got up from her cowardiance position. This is perfect, Ivy thought to herself, Jano is a cyclopic monster. She turned to face Jano, the Guardian of the Cave of Bad Dreams. He seemed to be amused, fanged mouth turned to a ghoulish grin. He must get this a lot, Ivy concluded, as she noticed a decaying sign hanging near them that said 'Tourism is not advised'. Ivy tried to not break down as she came closer cautiously. She could hear Sssam snicker behind her. You're going to get it snake, Ivy growled under her breath.  
  
  
  
"Hello." Ivy started. She felt bile rise in her throat, making it almost impossible to talk. She didn't trust a full set of sharp teeth so close to her. My name's-" "Ivy." Jano finished before Ivy did, his voice deep and coarse. Ivy jumped. She could hear Sssam burst into fits of laughter behind her. "How did you know that?" Ivy whimpered. "I can read minds. It saves a lot of discussion time, and its fun to creep out the tourists." Jan replied as-a-matter-of-factly.  
  
"You've come to strengthen a power you didn't even know you had until just this morning. I'm sorry to hear that Rosemary's dead though. She was a good friend of mine." the Guardian knew every thought that ran through Ivy's head. Ivy felt so exposed under Jano's power. I wonder if I get mind powers like that, Ivy questioned to herself. "No you don't. Mind reading and soul- binding are two different types of magic." "Quit doing that!" Ivy shouted. Mind-reading can give unneccessary detail. "I'm here to focus my powers, not to have my mind read!"  
  
"Sorry. It's kind of a bad habit I formed over the years. A whole bunch of free-loaders have been coming around lately, trying to get their own share of the treasure that I keep within the Cave of Bad Dreams." Jano apologized. Rayman remembered the huge piles of gold and jewels Jano kept in there, and the temptation he experienced that almost cost Rayman his journey. Ivy had heard about the piles of treasure from her mother, so she had a good mental picture as well. "How am I going to defeat Morphina? Even you couldn't beat her, and she has a whole army to spare. I'm just one little girl with some magic I don't even know how to use."  
  
"Razorbeard had a whole army against Rayman, but that didn't stop him from reaching his goal. If you learn how to use your powers to destroy the mind hold Morphina has over her whole army, then you can defeat her. However, I received news that some of her army members aren't even spell-bound. They are called Commanders, due to the fact that they give commands to their own little group of spell-bound creatures that Morphina loans them. I warn you of them because usually they are the most mischievous little weasels that you'll ever come across in your whole life." Ivy listened as intently as when she was home-schooled by her Mother about the many advantages of plants in the marshes. "Trust me, I'll teach you how to use your powers as fast as Rayman escaped from Razorbeard's pirate ship." "That took about three days, Jano." "Exactly! I can't teach her first-class powers in under five minutes, you know."  
  
"Then we need to get started then!" Ivy replied. "No one knows when Morphina will strike, and it may be as early as tonight!" She didn't add that her family could've already been attacked, but she knew that Jano already knew what she was thinking. "You're right, Ivy. We need to train you as fast as humanly possible. We will train in the Cave of Bad Dreams." Jano told her.  
  
"Wait a minute! Who will watch the Cave while you're in it?" Sssam, feeling left out, called out. "It's simple, really. We'll watch it, Sssam." Rayman answered. The two friends were soon standing at the entrance of the Cave of Bad Dreams, taking on the responsibility that Jano once had for a little while. They turned to watch Jano lead Ivy into a portal that will take her to the Cave of Bad Dreams, where she will focus her power to beat Morphina. Ivy turned to wave to her friends, Rayman mostly, before she entered the portal.  
  
Now, life seemed fair once again for Ivy.  
  
--------------------------  
  
As they watched the Guardian of the Cave of Bad Dreams and Ivy Thorn enter the portal and disappear, Rayman and his friend failed to notice the two muddy figures that glided through the marshes' waters with the stealth that could make tigers jealous. It wasn't until they turned about face to guard the entrance when they saw the two shapes caked with mud try to pull themselves out of the marshes' waters by trying hopelessly to pull themselves onto the root that led into the entrance. Rayman and Sssam, seeing them as friends, ran to help them. Rayman gripped onto one of the figure's shoulders and pulled him onto dry land, while Sssam actually dove into the water to push the other figure onto the tree root. Rayman tried to examine their features, but they were too dirty to see anything. Their clothes were torn and looked like they struggled against many different creatures.  
  
"What do you think they are, Rayman?" Sssam asked. Rayman bent closer to look at them. They were human, and judging from their state, they fought with their lives to get here. Suddenly, one of the dirty figures started to cough violently while the other stayed unconsious. Rayman took this a time to question him.  
  
"Who are you?" Rayman asked plainly. The one still awake managed to choke out these words before he fell into the same deep sleep his partner was in.  
  
"Morphina will attack this place tomorrow morning. Jano is in danger." And the figure fell into unconsiousness.  
  
  
  
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End of Chapter 3  
  
Argh! This chapter took forever to do! ^^ I hope my effort pleases you!  
  
  
  
The two figures, which happen to be Ryoko D.'s fancharacters in case the Disclaimer didn't give you a heads-up, that Sssam and Rayman saved are going to be a lot more important in the following chapter. Please be patient to see what happens to them!  
  
  
  
*in a announcer like voice* Will Davis escape the powers of the soul- binding spell Morphina cast upon him? Whatever happened to Rosemary? Will Ivy learn how to use her powers before Morphina strikes? Are the two unconsious figures friend or foe? All this and more in the next chapter!  
  
Don't forget to review! _ 


	4. Strengthening Threats

Strengthening Threats  
  
  
  
Disclaimers: Nothing new here. The two character that Rayman and Sssam saved are owned by Ryoko D., my characters are owned by me *smiles*, soul- binding is owned by the many different legends scattered across the globe, and Rayman is owned by Ubi Soft.  
  
  
  
Notes: Due to holiday vacation, this chapter was delayed for a short while. (Hey, even computer nerds like me need a rest.) For Christmas, I got Rayman Arena, and it rocks! The only problem is that there is no Ly (*sniff*), Sssam (*double sniff*), Clark (eh...), Jano (Not many people like him.), Bad-Rayman (He could've been an alternative costume for Rayman, but the creators didn't allow Rayman any extra costumes.), or Polokus (*shrugs*). Instead, they had new characters like Dark Golbox (an evil more- insane version of Golbox), Tily (a watered-down pixie version of Ly.), and Mrs. Razorbeard. (O_O;) However, the funny cutscenes of Murphy being beat up by the contestants outweigh the cons. This chapter is shorter than the last chapter. (Thank goodness.) Expect some bizarre twists and turns coming your way this time.  
  
  
  
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Don't re-arrange - No need to change  
  
Stay like you are - Keep it all the same  
  
But as you move along in your life  
  
Keep an open mind and don't forget  
  
------Cosmic Eternity----  
  
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"Are they even alive, Rayman?" Rayman didn't answer his friend as he poured fresh cold water on one of the humans that he and his friend had saved earlier. They were now under the tree canopy that hid the entrance to the Cave of Bad Dreams. Luckily, Jano owned a protected freshwater spring nearby, one the few that were scattered throughout the polluted swamps. Rayman had filled two whole buckets of water, one for each unconscious being. He was pouring water from one bucket at a steady pace onto one of them, washing off the mud and blood from it. Sssam, seeing Rayman clear the dirt away from the person he saved, repeated the progress on the other person they had saved by tipping the bucket near the other fallen person with his tail. Underneath the dirt, Rayman and Sssam saw what they really were.  
  
  
  
The two humans that they saved was a male and a female. The male was tall and muscular, with lavender hair that was spiked and clumped with dirt clogs. His clothes were torn and ripped to shreds, but what was left was the fabulous blood red tunic that Morphina had given him when she upgrading him to Commander. Judging from the tears in the clothing, he and his partner must've battled with some kind of strong sharp-clawed monster. Rayman decided to question them later on their wounds. The female that lay beside the boy had glorious turquoise hair with neon orange bangs. She was well-bodied like her partner, but instead of wearing a blood red tunic she wore a tattered midnight blue, with a long sharp sword sheathed to her right side. Both of their breathing was ragged and slow. Rayman shook his head in frustration.  
  
  
  
"We won't get any questions from them now. Let's let them rest, and later we can wake them up and ask them..." Rayman replied to Sssam. Sssam nodded. "I hope Jano doesssn't mind the new visssitors. After all, one of them did know sssomething about an attack tomorrow morning. I wonder what he means by that..." Suddenly, the female human started to stir from her short coma. Sssam and Rayman immediately rushed to her side for any needed aid. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing a pair of dark bluish purple eyes. She coughed slightly, then rose herself until she was in a sitting position. When she first saw Sssam, she made a quick motion to unsheathe her sword, but when she saw Rayman she stopped it at mid-action.  
  
  
  
"Rayman...Everyone is in danger..." her voice cracked and was hoarse from using too many magic attacks. Rayman nodded. "I know. Your friend told me all about it." Rayman indicated the still-lying form next to her. The female noticed her friend and gasped. "Nooo...They got Drac...." Her eyes started to water with unborn tears. Sssam shook his head. "Don't worry, lady. He's ssstill alive, but not by much." His comment lightened the girl's mood, but not by much. Rayman, seeing the conversation going nowhere, decided to question her.  
  
  
  
"Where did you two come from? Judging from your state, it wasn't a walk in the park." Rayman stated. The girl smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling like jewels. Strangely, her strength seemed to return quite fast for someone who was just in a coma. "Sorry..." her voice was still hoarse, but it was a little better. Rayman could sense the magic that she possessed, giving her healing abilities that outmatched any normal humans.  
  
  
  
"I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Donnia Starhunter, but it's best if you can call me Nia." She burst into a fit of dry coughing. When she cleared her voice, she continued. "Lying next to me is Rex Skyler, but I like to call him Drac." Nia turned her head to Rayman, her dark eyes sparkling. "Thanks for rescuing us. We almost thought that Morphina had us."  
  
  
  
"Morphina? You know about her too?" Sssam asked. Nia nodded. "I'll tell you the details after Drac wakes up and I feel better." She lay back down on the ground and shut her eyes. Her breathing was still wounded and unsteady. "Can you get me some fresh water? My throat is dry and sore beyond belief." The two heroes traveled to the spring to fetch some water in a small canteen, but when they returned to give it to Nia, she had returned to the coma that Rex Skyler was still in. They both knew that she had not completely healed, so they laid the canteen full of fresh water next to her. After they were finished with their trival task, Sssam was instructed to watch the two fallen ones while Rayman went back to guard the entrance.  
  
  
  
"I wonder if these two are friends or foes. I sure hope that they aren't hiding anything from us, Sssam." Rayman questioned to his friend. Sssam nodded, but said no more as he watched the two fallen ones with the attention of a vigil watch. Rayman scanned the horizon for foes. As much as Rayman trusted the two sorcerers, something about them seemed fishy. He felt that these two will either help them greatly in their new journey against Morphina, or hinder them so that they stand no chance against the dangers of Morphina and her Commanders. Rayman inwardly hoped that they were friends, or else Ivy probably won't stand a chance.  
  
  
  
Little did he know, he was going to find out the answer too soon for comfort....  
  
  
  
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"My liege, we caught some new prisoners!" A group of human slaves, lead by the black frog commander that met Freya and Agent B.R. earlier, walked into Morphina room dragging a trio of miserable captives. Morphina didn't bother to turn around, Davis still standing spell-bound and motionless next to her. "What else is new?" Morphina replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She was still peeved that her two best Commanders went charging into the marshes without any commands, and some captives weren't enough to change her mood. Davis watched the visitors with dark eyes void of emotion. The spell's bondage had grown stronger as time passed, and even Davis's slightest resist was quickly blocked off. He felt like a robot.  
  
  
  
"These prisoners are different. They're friends of Rayman!" The frog commander insisted. His slaves behind his back agreed dully in unison. Morphina turned to face her Commander. Her delicate mouth turned into a fanged smile when she saw the Commander and his slaves holding two struggling Teensies and a wounded Globox at hand. She approached the group, Davis tagging along like a leashed dog.  
  
  
  
"You've really outdone yourself, Pondscum. (Yes, that's his name! =p) These prisoners could actually be worth as much as Davis here if spell-bound. I bet they could tell us everything we wanted to know." The Teensies began to yell loudly in protest; they knew of Morphina's powers as much as Jano and Polokus did. Globox, too wounded to argue, merely glanced at her with weary eyes that said 'I hope she's not as bad as Razorbeard'. He wanted to spare his energy for when the enemies let their guard down. Morphina ordered Pondscum to keep the Teensies quiet at once.  
  
  
  
"Morphina, the Globox frog holds a Silver Lum..." Davis replied in dull monotone. Morphina nodded. "I knew that, Davis. Silver Lums hold tons of compressed fairy magic. If used correctly, they can be as powerful as the strongest spell. If I possessed one, Jano can be as good as dead within seconds." Morphina held out her hand in front of the injured frog. Globox looked a bit surprised at this motion. He glared at her with untrusting eyes, his friend's muffled pleas right behind him. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. If you hand me the Silver Lum now, I'll forget about spell-binding you and you can live in the prison with your own free will. If you refuse, I'll spell-bind you and force you to clean out the chamber pots my army uses!" Globox cringed at these choices. The Teensies fell silent, for they didn't know which choice was worse.  
  
  
  
"Globox never give Silver Lum to evil witch lady. Silver Lum for Rayman, not you!" Globox retorted. Morphina looked like she was slapped in the face. Her face became a mask of pure vemon. To everyones' surprise, Morphina left hand morphed into a replica of the claws that a dragon possesses. She placed the claws underneath Globox's throat. "If you don't give it to me now, I'll be forced to create some nasty looking scars across that bloated stomach of yours! Is that clear?" Globox still kept his froggy glare on Morphina, but he soon gave up. He vomited the Silver Lum from his mouth and onto his one free hand....  
  
  
  
"Catch!" Globox tossed the Silver Lum across the room. Pondscum and his slaves ducked as a reflex. The Silver Lum, being full of magical energy, bounced off the walls like a bouncy ball. Growling at her Commander's ignorance, Morphina ordered them to catch the Lum. The slaves and Commander, now with a new order, dropped the disgruntled Teensies and dove for the Lum like a cat dives at a fly. The Teensies and Globox, seeing this as a distraction, ran out the room as Morphina and her cronies dove for the Lum. Davis, without an order, stood like a still statue. At Fate would have it, in the confusion of the room, the Silver Lum bounced off at the right angles and collided right into Davis. The magic power forced Davis to land onto his bottom. Everyone stood in shock, not knowing what was going to happen to Davis. When the silver light and magic faded, Davis got up to his feet and glanced around like he had woken up from a dream.  
  
  
  
"Where am I?" Davis asked. He saw the advancing slaves and immediately remembered Morphina. When he saw her, she looked very angry, her face turning a hot red. Without warning, she grabbed the nearest person at her reach, which happened to be Pondscum, and hissed into his face. "Grab him, you fool! He's been freed from my spell!" The slaves dove at him at once, but Davis sidestepped the mindless drones with the skill of a master hunter. He ran out the room and traveled down the stairs. It wasn't long before he heard the clamor of Morphina's cronies running down the stairs after him. "If you grab him, keep him alive you mindless worms! I still want him for myself!" Davis heard that voice a little too close for comfort. He ran until his sides hurt, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Suddenly, he was knocked off his feet and onto his back.  
  
  
  
"Keep quiet!" Davis was surprised to see a Teensie standing on his stomach. It was heavier than what Davis expected Teensies to be, but it didn't press him down hard enough to make him unable to breathe. The Teensie hopped off his stomach quickly. "Follow me. We won't escape them by running down the stairs. There's a different route. Come on!" The Teensie led Davis down the stairs several steps and then stopped to push upon a place near the stairs. To Davis' surprise, it opened into a small storage room full of animal skins and zombie chickens not yet spell-bound by anybody. The Teensie quickly shut the door away as soon as Davis entered. Davis waited to catch his breath before he could question the Teensie.  
  
  
  
"How'd you know that this hollow was here?" The Teensie smiled. "Those captives had to stop here to grab some fox skins before talking to Morphina. It's always best to be observant in these kinds of environments." Another Teensie and Globox appeared from out of the shadows that covered most of the room. "We can't give Rayman the Silver Lum now. But, Silver Lum somehow freed the young boy from Morphina's spell. Globox hope that the boy knows what's going on, because Globox sure don't." Davis sighed at this comment.  
  
  
  
"I don't know much either. My Dad sent Ivy on her way, and mere hours later he gets killed by some mysterious yahoo in a cloak and his pet puppy-thing. Then, those two dragged me to ol' Morphy-girl and then she put me under a spell." The Teensies nodded at this information. "You're very lucky, boy." "Please call me Davis." "Okay. Davis, very few people are put under her spell and live to ever see their free will again. Those that do are sacrificed later for food for the more cannibalistic creatures like those things." The Teensie talking pointed his thumb at the chained zombie chickens watching them with vacant eyes.  
  
  
  
"How do we get out of here?" Davis asked. Globox smiled. "Globox know how! Watch and learn, Davis!" Globox backed up slightly until he was facing the outer wall. Then, like Clark, he charged until he burst through the wooden wall, leaving a humorous Globox-shape in the wall. Davis cringed, wondering if Globox accidentally killed himself, while the Teensies cheered him on. Golden sunshine shone out of the hole, showing that it was indeed a new route outside Morphina's fortress. Moments later, the group could hear Globox call out for him. The trio ran towards the hole and peered downwards through it. They were three stories off the ground, but they could make out a blue shape calling for them from the swamp water below. "How does he do it?" Davis questioned to himself.  
  
  
  
Without warning, the Teensies hopped through the hole and landed three stories below. Davis gasped, but then he saw Globox catch the two Teensies with great accuracy. Davis, knowing that going back wasn't an option, jumped through the hole. He landed softly on top of the pudgy frog like someone would land on an air mattress, knocking the frog off his feet, but Globox didn't seem to mind. "Seems like you're stuck with us, kid. Once the cronies find out about Globox's little doorway, we'll have to run for our lives." a Teensie said plainly.  
  
  
  
"Speak of the devil!" Davis cursed, pointing an index finger upwards to the hole they exited out of. He saw a human peering through the Globox-hole and shouting something unclear and foggy to something behind him. Davis couldn't guess twice who the person was shouting to. "We'll have to make a run for it if we don't want to enter spell-bondage again by that evil witch. The best place to go is probably the Cave of Bad Dreams, since Ivy went there and Morphina seems to hate the Guardian there."  
  
  
  
The Teensies knew of this place well. "We know where Cave of Bad Dreams is! Rayman showed it to us once, and he said that Jano could help us in any situation. We need to hurry, unless if cleaning chamber pots sounds like a good idea!" With the Teensies leading, the four new friends ran for their lives. The party of four ran through the swamp waters and poisonous land of the Bayou that Morphina resided at this point of time, just as Morphina's horde descended down either their escape route or the main entrance to cut them off. They had to make it to the Swamps of Awakening and its Cave of Bad Dreams that it shielded within. Behind them, a group of mismatched creatures were chasing them down, Pondscum and a human Commander leading the way. Morphina, despite the importance of the catch the slaves were chasing, had more important things to attend to at the moment and didn't join the chase. Now, Davis was involved in a race against time to see who could make it to the Cave of Bad Dreams first.  
  
  
  
Sadly, Davis didn't know that two contenders had started the race early.  
  
  
  
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Ivy never saw a place like the place that Jano took her. After dragging hr through a land of nightmarish traps, puzzles, and monsters, she stood in a cavern full of gold, jewels, and riches. A whole cauldron of Elixir of Life bubbled in the corner. Cups made from human skulls sat near the cauldron. Ivy forced himself to keep from picking any riches and putting them in her jean pockets as she watched Jano seat himself on the largest pile of jewels. He waved his skull-adorned wand in front of her face. "Here you will learn how to put your powers to good use. Good skills don't come easily." Ivy watched as the Guardian summoned something from the pile of riches. It turned out to be a Cyclops monster, which looked like the small version of him. "You're first task is to spell-bind this creature." Ivy had to urge to ask Jano how, but he already knew what she was thinking.  
  
  
  
"I know that you have no idea how to soul-bind, so I'll demonstrate." He placed a hefty claw on top of the creature's head. "You must place your hand, or any part of your body but the hand is easiest, above the creature's eyes. Then, you must focus on forcing all of its thoughts away from its head. This process can only be performed by magic creatures like us, so don't worry about your friends forcing any thoughts out of your head. If the creature has no thoughts, then the process will be easier. After the brain is void of all thought, you must give the creature orders or else it'll just sit there like an unused toy. I know it sounds weird, Ivy but you'll get the hang of it." The creature Jano held became still, and its single eye blanked out. Ivy shuddered under the glare of the thoughtless eye of the monster. Then, Jano ordered the creature to come towards Ivy, which responded in a dull hop towards the frightened teenager.  
  
  
  
"If you can get soul-binding correct, then breaking the spell will be a snap. All you have to do is repeat the progress of soul-binding, only instead you force the magical orders away. If done correctly, the monster is free to do whatever it pleases." Jano ordered the monster to hop within his reach, and with the same repeated steps, the spirit returned to the monster's body. Now free, the monster began to roam around aimlessly in the large treasured cavern. Ivy looked at her trainer for some advice, but all she got was a plain 'go ahead, try it' sort of look from the Guardian. Swallowing the bile that had risen in her throat, Ivy stepped towards the roaming monster.  
  
  
  
To her surprise, the monster nearly bit her hand with its sharp teeth. Ivy pulled her hand back and backed away from the monster. She could hear Jano's voice behind her. "Show no fear. Once you get a hold of its mind, then it'll become as docile as a kitten." Ivy nodded.  
  
  
  
"Okay. Here goes nothing." Then, to Jano's surprise, the teenager tackled the Cyclops creature to the ground and pinned it face down in the dirt to avoid snapping jaws. Jano nearly burst out laughing as he saw Ivy curse and growl as she got on top of the creature, placed a hand above the struggling monster's eye, and began to focus. The struggling ceased as Ivy forced the thoughts away like someone would make someone move under the glare of their eyes. To test it out, Ivy got off from the creature and poked it. The creature got up from the ground and stared emotionlessly at her. Ivy, without any other command, ordered the monster to come towards Jano. The creature stumbled across the ground until it was a few feet next to Jano. Jano was impressed.  
  
  
  
"You got spunk, kid. Your mother didn't tackle the monster like you did. She just threw a piece of jerky at it so she could approach it peacefully. Now, release it from your hold." Ivy did so by placing her hand on top of the monster's hand and forcing the magic away. Suddenly, the monster came alive with growling and snarling and bit her hand with one clamp of its jaws. Ivy screamed bloody murder as she felt razor-sharp teeth dig into her skin, close to drawing blood. The pain ceased when Jano whacked the creature with his wand, making the monster disappear in a puff of smoke. "I think we need to train more. Morphina's monsters do more than just bite, you know."  
  
  
  
And so, the rest of Ivy's day was filled with various training courses like spell-binding different creatures, lifting heavy weights, dodging spiked traps, and even racing against Jano to see if she was ready. Throughout the long tiring day that extended into night, Ivy was bruised, battered, bitten, and scratched at by different things. Her steel will wore on as she proved her worth to the Guardian of the Cave of Bad Dreams. As she trained, her power grew quickly with experience. Jano was impressed, seeing the girl go through two days of training in one day. But, he did knew that he indeed was training the savior of the Cave of Bad Dreams, and maybe the entire world.  
  
  
  
Ivy's first real test will come soon, but she will be ready. Ivy vowed to make her family proud of her, and to destroy Morphina once and for all...  
  
  
  
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"How much longer? This swamp is driving me nuts!" Freya whined. She was slapping at mosquitoes like crazy, developing a crazy bug rash in the progress. Her partner rolled his eyes as the struggling wolf-furry bit and scratched at bugs. "That's why they invented bug spray, Freya. You should use it sometime. Besides, the Cave of Bad Dreams is only a skip and a hop from here." The two were now wading knee-deep in swamp muck. As always, the two of them dragged their three spell-bound zombie chickens in case they needed more brute force than they already possessed. The sun had already set down, perfect timing for the two Commanders. However, the darkness attracted bugs.  
  
  
  
"That's what you said five minutes ago. I hate this stupid swamp!" She crushed a bug the size of a baseball between her paws, covering herself with greenish bug blood. She gagged and tried to wipe it off, only succeeding in smearing dark stripes across her tangled white fur. Her species always resided in mountainous areas, and swamps were like living nightmares to them. Wading through ice-cold swamp water that lapped at their knees was even worse for her. Finally, possibly out of hidden pity, Freya's partner led them up a large fallen tree, pulling themselves out of the mud with a sickening suck. Freya shivered as freezing cold wind bit at her knees. "Why are we here anyways? Morphina instructed us to wait at the fortress."  
  
  
  
"'You snooze, you lose' is the quote in mind. If we travel at this pace, we'll not only run into Jano, but Rayman, his friends, and that will probably lead us to the two runaways. It's like killing three birds with one stone." It was Freya's turn to roll her eyes. "Please. You said that the two runaways are dead. Why are we running after them all of a sudden?" Bad-Rayman shrugged as he pulled the hood down on his cloak and scanned the surroundings. "I didn't want Pondscum to worry. He's fierce and uncontrollable when he thinks that he's in danger. If Morphina sees us with the two runaways' bodies, she'll probably promote us to second-in-command!" Freya liked that idea of being Morphina's right-hand wolf, but still she doubted that the two runaways will be near Rayman's party. Still, her partner had a strange sense of knowing things.  
  
  
  
They walked through the marshes, sneaking at a quiet pace in the underbrush. It wasn't long until a wooden pier appeared before them for swamp water boats to dock; Sssam's official home. Only a few yards away, the large tree root that led into the Cave of bad Dreams trailed in the marsh's poisonous waters like an amber rope. Freya and Bad-Rayman kept hidden, for they knew that the Entrance was never left unguarded. If they were to catch anybody by surprise, they had to keep hidden until the guardian least expected it. Little did they know, their sneaking wasn't left unseen. Rayman and Sssam saw them sneaking around in the underbrush way before they expected it. Rayman's mind thought like his evil counterpart, so he pretended to not notice them. Soon, the battle of Rayman and his shadow will begin once again after Rayman's win in Mr. Dark's lair so long ago.  
  
  
  
Little did they know, that the battle between good and evil was going to be a tag team match, for both Donnia Starhunter and Rex Skyler were now fully healed and wide awake.  
  
  
  
....The War of the Souls has begun....  
  
  
  
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End of Chapter 4  
  
  
  
Everything is beginning to tie together and make more sense. The fifth chapter will include the first battle of the unofficial War of the Souls, a short cameo by Ly, and close-to-death experience on our hero's part.  
  
  
  
Sneak peak of 'War of the Souls', Chapter 5:  
  
  
  
Rayman thought that his shadow had died long ago, but now Bad-Rayman's back with both a partner and a thirst for blood. While Rayman's dealing with his long-lost evil side, Davis and Ivy meet once again but Davis brings news of bad omen and the start of the War of the Souls. Ivy feels that she is not ready, but she must join the battle at the state she's in or else the world has no chance at all. Meanwhile, Morphina has a few plans up her sleeves, and it'll involve the souls of both Ly and Rosemary Thorn! Will Morphina succeed, or will Rayman and Ivy prevail? Expect some major twists, turns, near-death experiences, and even a little love.  
  
  
  
Someone e-mailed me asking why I chose the story to take place in a swamp of all places and it was stupid without the Fairy Glade or anything like that. I told him that 1/3 of all the levels in Rayman 2 have a swamp, bayou, or a marsh of some form. I had four major choices of background; swamp, glade, lava and rock (Think Sanctuary of Stone and Fire), or beach (Sanctuary of Water and Ice). I chose the marsh setting because its dangerous, yet it's not so hazardous that living in it would be nigh impossible. Seeing as most of the stories don't involve Jano, but they always involve some peaceful glade, I decided to be original. Hooray for me!  
  
  
  
Only two chapters to go! ^^ I'm still wondering if I should kill off Freya or not. Please tell me in either e-mail form or in your review.  
  
  
  
Remember to review! 


	5. The War Of The Souls

The War of The Souls  
  
Author's Notes: OO!!! I'm more popular than I thought! There's more reviews for Veil of Darkness than The Awakening and Legend of Nidogod *combined*! And, it's not even finished yet! Since you peeps like it so much, I'm planning a sequel, which is probably good news for all of you. I'm also not going to kill off Freya, for she now has a bigger role and more background. ^^  
  
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I'm not waiting for a fortune teller,  
  
I feel my wish will come true.  
  
I've never thought ahead with my luck,  
  
Is it my treasure? Tell me what I've really looked for...  
  
---Fly In The Freedom-----  
  
  
  
Rayman stood poised at the entrance of the Cave of Bad Dreams, his hands curled into lethal fists. He had sensed Freya and Bad-Rayman's presence long before the two Commanders suspected anything. They had underestimated him and now they were going to pay dearly for their mistake. Sssam was a bit confused at the way his friend was acting but he played along as if he was as focused as his friend, staring blankly out into the marshes in the direction that Rayman was focused on like he saw the intruders too. They were acting like Freya and Bad-Rayman had the drop on them, but then they will strike out while the two were recovering from their surprise attack. "I know those two..." a quiet hiss rang from behind the two watchful friends. Rayman turned his head in surprise and saw that both Rex Skyler and Donnia Starhunter had risen from their sleep. They looking like scarecrows in their ripped clothing but had the spirit of great warriors glowing in their eyes as they too scanned the marshes. "They're Freya and Agent B.R., two of Morphina's finest. They have short tempers, but they track like predators. They were the ones that captured us in the first place." Rex replied softly. Rayman gave the two a look that said 'shouldn't you two be resting', but he quickly shook it away. He cletched his teeth.  
  
"I know this sounds strange to all of you, but the cloaked one seems familiar in some way, like I bumped into him at one point of my life but quickly brushed it off with the coming events." All three of Rayman's friends seemed confused. Rayman still stood rigid, his hidden rage building ever so slowly from within. "Both of them have magic powers, but one of the Commanders has powers that remind me of myself, in some obsure way. Anyone with magic powers has sort of a sixth sense that feels the pulse of magic power in someone else if they're close enough. That's how I can tell." Donnia Starhunter shrugged at this comment. Her sword was ready for use at her side.  
  
"Agent B.R. never takes off that cloak so he could be related to you in some way..." Donnia didn't know how right she was; she hit the truth right on the head. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity for an attack, Freya and Bad-Rayman sprang from the underbrush like leopards and landed just a few feet from the company of four, trying to make themselves look alot more threatening than they really were. Rayman, Skyler, and Starhunter strangely didn't seemed surprised, but Sssam jumped back for he didn't notice them before. The two Commanders were disappointed that their entrance didn't have any elements of surprise but they still felt like they accomplished something.  
  
"Rayman, it's been a while." Bad-Rayman hissed. The party guarding the entrance, including Sssam, gave each other confused glances. The Commander smirked underneath the cloak's hood. "Surprised? I thought so, seeing as you left me to die after you defeated me in Candy Cateau those years ago..." The truth began to dawn on Rayman. Magic electricity surged around his fingertips as he realized why the Commander was so familiar to him and his magic pulse was almost exactly like his. "No...You can't be him...." Rayman stammered. He couldn't believe the Mr. Dark's infleuence was still alive. "I know, I couldn't believe it a little while ago either." Freya added rather dully to Rayman's comment. With a single dramatic sweep of his hand, Bad-Rayman removed his cloak and flung it carelessly away. Everyone gasped in surprise; everyone assumed that Rayman's stories were just fantasies to spread at the campfire. He raised his left fist at eye-level, watching the dark magic that resembled Rayman's sparkle off his fingers.  
  
"I've waited too long for this moment. This ends now, Rayman!" Bad-Rayman exclaimed, as a symbol of a challenge. Rayman rushed forword, meeting the challenge, but he wasn't alone in this battle. Along with him, Donnia Starhunter and Rex Skyler joined in, along with Freya joining in on the other's side. Sssam could only watch, helpless and without weapons against the battle of good and evil. Instead, he stood as unnoticeable at possible near the entrance, praying to Polokus that Rayman didn't lose. The fight was evenly matched. While Rayman had more recruits on his side, his counterpart had a wolf-furry with powerful rune magic and more experience in killing things. There was no way in knowing which side would win until one of them fell.  
  
"Please, Ivy! Finisssh your training soon, or else Rayman might not have a chance!" Sssam whispered to himself. The battle officially started with a mach-speed fist fight against Rayman and Bad-Rayman, and a wizard's duel against Freya and the two mages. Rayman and his counterpart both dodged and attacked their enemy with the skill of master warriors, each one attacking in complex patterns that were blocked off by the other's speedy sidesteps and movements. Their battle was a contest of both skill and stamina, each one waiting for the other to let their guard down. Freya, on the other hand, was too busy casting rune magic on the two human mages to even notice her partner's side of the battle. Rex and Donnia were both casting their most powerful magic against her, which was blocked off with counteracting spells. All in all, both fights were complex versions of Pong.  
  
As the battle of the two Raymans and the three spell casters wore on for about another twenty minutes of constant beating, the battle was beginning to see a change in the pattern. Freya had blocked all of her oppenents' attacks with her rune magic, but soon her magic power was wearing thin from overuse. Desperately, she had already ordered her pack of zombie chickens to keep Donnia occupied as she attacked Rex on an one-on-one match. Freya thought that if she knocked out one of her enemies, the other one would be easier to fell. As Donnia hacked away at mindless creatures with a thirst for blood, Rex had to fight against Freya by himself. "This is for all the creatures you killed, you nasty wolf!" Rex Skyler shouted to Freya, hoping that he could make short work of her. His fingers pulsated with burning red fire. "I, demon of Shadows, call upon the power of my ancestors, so I may defeat my enemies...R-E-D...B-L-AST!"  
  
A wall of scalding orange flames leaped towards Freya, but she sidestepped rather easily by rolling to the side. Only the tip of her tail caught the fire's blaze, but despite the burning pain she felt from the attack, she managed to keep her voice straight as she shouted to Rex. "Hah! Is that the best you can do, boy? You did the same trick when we caught you six months ago!" She got off from the ground and traced a rune in the air. She planned on finishing this kid once and for all. "Say goodbye to the living world, pretty boy!" Unfortunately, Freya had made an awful mistake when she forgot about Donnia. Crying like a madman, Donnia sprang from out of the crowd of zombie chickens, sword raised high above her head. Before the wolf- furry knew it, Donnia swiftly dug the tip of her sword deep into Freya's right shoulder-blade, leaving a deep gash of shining crimson. Freya howled loudly in pain.  
  
As Rayman and Bad-Rayman traded punches and sidesteps, it was Freya's cry of anguish that was enough to make Rayman's evil counterpart let his guard down by turning his head to where Freya had called. Instantly, Rayman took this distraction as a chance of a lifetime, and hit his foe with a well- placed energy uppercut. The counterpart fell a good six feet away on his left side onto the muddy ground of the marshland. Instantly, the battle was officially over. Bad-Rayman got up and brushed the swamp dirt from himself. "Thanks alot, Freya. You made me let my guard down..." he grumbled to himself. He reached for his trusty hunting knife to press against Rayman's stomach and be finished with his bad omen once and for all. But, when he reached for his knife hilt, the knife that he usually kept at his side was gone. Oh no, he thought, Rayman must've caused me to drop it! Cursing to himself, he hoped that the worst didn't happen. Suddenly, the worst thing that could ever happen to a Commander happened to him for then he saw his enemy's friends pressing his killing weapon against his partner's throat.  
  
"Alright, Bad-Rayman. We'll do this the easy way or the messy way. If you even try to attack us in any possible way, your friend will have a new mouth to talk through." Donnia stated. Rex Skyler had Freya pinned to the ground by sitting on top of her, leaning on her bad shoulder to add to the pain. Donnia had the point of Bad-Rayman's hunting knife right underneath Freya's chin. Freya whimpered as she felt the cold iron against her throat. What had happened was that Sssam saw from his hiding place that Bad-Rayman had a hilt with a dangerous hunting knife just waiting to be used. He had informed Rayman that, if given the chance, he could knock the knife out of his hilt and use it to end this dispute once and for all.  
  
"You've just reached an all-time low, Rayman. I expected you to be alot more civilized than to use some human mages and a snake to threaten me." he commented. Donnia instantly shot his comment down with a comeback. "You're the last person I'd expect to do something civilized, seeing as you trashed our hometown with a whole horde of ogres, serpents, and zombie chickens. In my eyes, this skinny little fleabag deserves to be skinned alive." Freya didn't even bother to struggle; her bad shoulder, the weight of Rex on her, and the sharp knife against her throat probiting her movement. Instead, she waited to see how her partner was going to agree with them. "Okay. I'll go along with your little request, as long as I get Freya in one piece." the disgruntled Commander replied dryly. Rayman and his friends seemed to be expecting this kind of reaction. Rayman answered immediately. "I want you to tell me what you know about Morphina, and don't skimp on the details either. I want everything, including her battle formations, strategies, and any secret information."  
  
"You've just wasted a request, Rayman. Even I don't know everything about Morphina's plans; she keeps to herself most of the time. However, since you want to know what I happen to know, I'll tell you this. Once Morphina strikes this marsh, the War of the Souls will wipe out everything in its path, including Freya and me. If Morphina finds out that we were playing stool pidgeon, she'll probably dispose of us before she even lays a finger on Jano; traitors are her most hated things in the world. You see, we have a better chance of surviving in an active volcano than surviving the wrath of Morphina. To get back to business, Morphina mentioned something about using a fairy creature to lead the entire army into the marshes; someone who knows the world like the back of their hand and would know all the shortcuts."  
  
"Ly!" Rayman blurted out. The Commander looked over to where he shouted. "I don't know her name, but she could be Ly. As I was saying, this fairy will lead the army into the marshes. Morphina will probably take the rear in the form of either an inconspicious horde-member or something enormous like a Chinese Dragon; best to keep your eye out for both cases. Either way, she'll attack the Entrance to the Cave of Bad Dreams first. If she manages to destroy the Cave's lock, which happens to be Jano, every ghoul and demon imaginable will be released into the world and we'll be facing an eternity of shadow, mind-control, and hellfire." As he explained, the friends listened intently. They were now gazing at him with frightened expressions. Even Freya ceased her soft whining, and her zombie chickens stopped any movement.  
  
"You probably will have a chance of saving your neck from Morphina's wrath if you help us defeat this menace." Rex said softly. He was no longer leaning on Freya's bad arm, but instead just keeping her from moving. Freya's partner shook his head; he was fingering his empty hilt. "Your offer is true to its words, but I think no one can stand up to Morphina if she's feared by the strongest beings in the universe. The zombie-tamers are dead; what with Davis enslaved, Pierce dead, and Rosemary cursed. Sure, the girl Morphina was talking about is still able to fight, but can one person possibly do?"  
  
To everyone's surprise, Freya answered his question. "One person can save a world from being enslaved by a pirate ship full of robot pirates. A single person can travel into the many regions of the world, gathering the four Masks of Polokus, breaking the cages of enslaved personal, and collecting the shattered pieces of the Heart of the World together to restore peace. A person can do anything, as long as they have hope, friendship, and a little luck on their side." Rex, sensing that she wasn't going to do any harm, got off from her. Freya rose to her feet and rubbed her sore throat. She soon continued her answer. "I don't care about Morphina's horde anymore. In fact, being a Commander in her army no longer seems glamorous, if she intends to enslave us all." With a quick sweep, Freya tore off the forest- green cloak she wore and flung it to the ground, revealing that she wore a light brown tunic underneath. She looked at her partner, who was shocked to see the normally-hyper wolf act like this.  
  
"If your words are true, then Morphina will smite us like we were nothing more than diseased rats. But, if you were also true about the War of the Souls and how they will wipe everything out in this marsh, then at least we can make our final stand important. Which is better; dying because your enemies stole some unvaluable information, or dying because you weren't afraid to stand for what you believed in!" Everyone seemed stunned that Freya, a cutthroat from Morphina's horde, had the words of a wise man. Now, she turned her discussion to her partner. "Bad-Rayman, forget about revenge, forget about your hatred against Rayman, forget about the two battles you lost, forget about your rank in Morphina's eyes, forget about everything that made your life miserable! If we help Rayman and the last zombie-tamer, then our reputations will change. We will no longer have to hide in the shadows under the hood of a cloak, and we will no longer have to slit somebody's throat to obtain food. Now, we can have a good cause for once. What do you say, Bad-Rayman?"  
  
It didn't take him long to answer. He gave Freya a sly smile, which meant he was impressed to see that a whiny hound like her had turned into a swift thinker in the course of the day. Or, was she just hiding her intelligence like he hid his identity? "You never cease to amaze me, Freya and once again you're right. If we're going to die tomorrow morning, then at least our death will be worthwhile if we sided with Rayman." All the while, Rayman and his friends were listening to the whole conversation. Sssam was to first to question the two Commanders' side switch. "Why should we trust you two? What'sss going to ssstop you from inserting that hunting knife of yours into our backs while we're sleeping and make a fortune off our bodies?"  
  
"If we intended to harm you, swamp snake, then what's stopping us from doing so right now? I could've continued the fight easily, and Freya could've broke the necks of those two mages, but we decided that we just don't care about being cutthroats anymore. You can trust us now." With those words, the two ex-Commanders held out their hands in a form of friendship, alot like what Ivy did when Rayman beat her up alot eariler today. Rayman was hesitant of siding with one of his old enemies, but soon he shook hands with both Commanders. As unexpected as the whole fight had started, it ended with a new friendship and some new allies to help out against Morphina. But, if Bad-Rayman's words were really speaking the truth, Rayman, Ivy, and all of their friends might need as much help as they can get.  
  
Luckily for them, four new beacons of hope were racing through the swamps at top speed....  
  
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Monsters, demons, slaves, and Commanders of every species and nightmare imaginable marched out of the fortress tree in straight rows, each one steered by a handful of Morphina's most trusted cutthroats. The Bayou was filled with both the mindless roars of the mind-controlled monsters and shouts of approval and order by the leaders. Each creature, no matter how unimportant, was each handed some kind of armor for defense. Ogres had suits of armor, snakes of every shape and size had plates of steel running down their backs, humans and human-like furries wore chain mail, and flying animals wore lightweight plates of metal on their chests. Everywhere, creatures that flew, floated, walked, slithered, swam, crawled, and climbed awaited the orders of one creature and one creature only; Morphina.  
  
At the front of the whole crowd of battle-ready monsters and leaders, Ly the fairy creature stood, surveying the scene like she expected this to happen. Her silky-smooth purple hair was tangled behind her, but she didn't pay attention to her looks since she was first appointed to the front of the legion. Peace and laughter no longer filled her eyes, but instead they glowed unnaturally with hate and blankness. No doubt that Morphina used her mind-controlling powers on Ly, but she didn't force Ly to obey her every command. Instead, her commands were more loose; "Lead the army and destroy anything that gets in your way when the time comes. Feel the demon fire control your every movement, Ly." Morphina had instructed her. Next to her, Pondscum and his human partner, who had both given up chasing Davis and his new friends an hour ago, stood waiting for their punishment from Morphina.  
  
"You have done well, Ly. Everyone in my army is ready just like I expected." Morphina's silvery voice ran out from above. A golden eagle landed in front of Ly and instantly shapeshifted into the human form of Morphina. Pondscum and his human partner suddenly tried to make themselves invisible, but Morphina noticed them instantly. "I'll take care of you two failures later, but first I need everything in my army to go according to plan. You'll take the rear of my legion for now, but when this little war is over, expect your free will to be under my control." She motioned to the large army that lay in front of them. "These creatures are commanded to attack before the first rays of light. However, our enemies won't see the light of day once we strike. My Veil of Darkness will cloak my army with shadows."  
  
"What about the boy, the frog, and the two teensies? The least you could do is..." Ly trailed off under the unhumanlike glare of Morphina that said 'don't-mention-the-fish-that-got-away-or-you'll-regret-it'. Ly quickly changed the subject. "What is the Veil of Darkness? You keep mentioning it to me. Is it important to you?" To Ly's surprise, she heard Morphina chuckle softly at her question. "The Veil of Darkness is the main reason why the most powerful beings on this forsaken planet fear me. No light can penetrate it. It makes even the bravest adventurer tremble under the blanket of darkness. It is under my Veil that I deliver my final blow to my most hated enemies."  
  
  
  
As Morphina stood next to the soulless Ly, she couldn't help but to add on to her statement. "Ivy and Jano don't stand a chance..."  
  
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Davis, with his three new friends, was miserable beyond belief. His pants legs were soaked through with dirt, grime and swamp water, sending cold chills up his spine. His clothes stuck to his back thanks to the strong humidity that the swamp possessed even after the sun had set long ago. Bugs buzzed in a thick cloud around his face, but he couldn't be bothered to swat them away as they nipped at his cheeks. Life seemed to drag on at a slow pace now that they were trudging in the muds of swamp lands he didn't recognize. Luckily, Globox knew where he was going; Davis and the Teensies relying purely on him to the path to the Cave of Bad Dreams. Davis was impressed to see that the Teensies didn't seem phased by the swamp's harsh conditions after dark; they probably had great stamina considering their size.  
  
"Globox, we've been walking for hours! Where's the Cave of Bad Dreams?" complained a Teensie who was trudging beside Davis. Davis sighed inwardly in relief; he didn't want to be the first to complain to Globox. Davis could see that the swamp did a number on their clothes also; the brightly colored robes now worn down into colorful rags that looked like beggar's clothes. The Teensie's complaint broke the hour-long silence that had followed them like the short pursuit of Pondscum, but Globox didn't seem to mind. "We walk just a little further, then we be there!" It bothered Davis that Globox answered so vaguely, but that couldn't be helped really. He let his thoughts wander as they trudged onward on through the mud. Soon, the group led themselves onto solid ground again. As Davis wrung out his pants legs, Globox spotted something.  
  
"Globox see campfire. Rayman must be there!" Davis felt his hope return as he too saw a bright red light in the distance. If they hurried, they could get there in under five minutes. The Teensies felt uneasy. "Why would Rayman set up camp in the middle of this gloomy land?" A Teensie asked supiciously. Davis immediately knew the answer. He quickly answered to whoever spoke up, seeing as both Teensies looked identical and he didn't catch the names of either one. "Morphina *did* say that Rayman would most likely cross paths with Ivy. Maybe they've set camp to rest for the night." As the group approached closer, another Teensie spoke up. "Don't they know about the attack tomorrow morning?" Davis shrugged. "If they don't, we'll be their messagers. Come'on!"  
  
Davis quickly appointed himself as the new leader, and soon the group tiptoed through the underbrush to the campsite. It turned out that after the two ex-Commanders became Rayman's friends, they informed the group that if they were to stand a chance, they needed to rest for the night under vigil watch. As the others rested in a circle around the campfire, one would look out for the first signs of attack. Even though Donnia and Rex seemed skeptical about lighting a fire, Freya and Bad-Rayman told them that Morphina already knew the direction of the Cave of Bad Dreams and would attack there first thing, campfire or no campfire. Besides, no one intended to stay up for the rest of the night. Donnia and Rex both slept close to each other, resting their heads on a log and feet next to the campfire. Rayman and Sssam were currently sleeping; Sssam curled in a neat little bundle of purple next to Rayman's feet. Even Freya slept peacefully, her shoulder cushioned by herbs and bandages in apology from Donnia. The current nightwatch was Bad-Rayman; he felt that he didn't need as much rest as the others.  
  
Davis felt extremely confused and upset to see Freya, the very person who kidnapped him and gagged him eariler, sleeping peacefully in the same campsite as Rayman. His hands cletched into angry little fists; if Freya was there, what would become of Ivy and Rayman? He had to find out. Without warning, Davis stomped into the campsite, his friends following him gingerly. Bad move for Davis; instantly an uncloaked Bad-Rayman sprung from the shadows, knife in hand. "It's you! What in Polokus's name are you doing here?" Davis set up a harsh tone. "I should say the same thing, Agent B.R.! You have no right to be here! If Ivy finds out..." The group of three behind him already seemed confused at this quick meeting. "Ivy? Agent B.R.? I think you skipped some details, Davis." Already, some of the campers awoke from their sleep. Freya, Rayman, and Rex were already awake. Rayman had to end this now.  
  
"Stop it, you two! Gutting each other isn't going to solve anything!" Rayman literally threw himself in front of the two rivaling friends. Davis was surprised to see Rayman defend the same person who had recently killed his father eariler, but he didn't dare to argue against the powerful being. Just then, Rayman noticed that Globox and some Teensies were with Davis. At the sight of one another, Rayman and Globox both hugged each other warmly as a sign of their friendship. "Globox, what happened to all of you? It looks like you were involved with the pain-in-the-neck Morphina too." Rayman questioned. "Globox and Ly heard that Rayman exploring swamp. We followed, but instantly we captured by monsters! Ly was dragged away without a struggle, but Ly also gave Globox Silver Lum! "Give to Rayman!" Ly says. Globox put up big fight!"  
  
Globox explained. The Teensies then finished. "After Globox was captured, we were next. The capturers of Globox obviously found two beings of powerful magic tempting, so they imprisoned us as well. After tracking through ravines and forests, we ended up at the bowels of the Bayou, where Morphina currently resides. She seemed impressed with us, but she really wanted Globox's Silver Lum. He throws the Silver Lum and it hits Davis here, somehow breaking the soul-bondage Morphina once had on him. We ran for our lives and here we are right now." Freya, who was listening the whole time, commented on their experiences. "It seems that Morphina crossed paths with everyone present here."  
  
"That's why we should keep on our toes, Freya. If Morphina has half the mind-reading power that Jano possesses, there's no telling what she already knows about us." Rex added. Davis was overjoyed to see a human mage on the same side as Rayman, but no sign of Ivy discouraged him. "Where is Ivy, Rayman?" Davis asked Rayman. He answered by pointing towards the Cave of Bad Dreams. "She's in there, completing the final stages of her training. Jano's pushing her hard, considering what little time we have left. If we're lucky, she's just about finished." At those words, Davis quickly chose a spot near the campfire to wait for Ivy. As much as he was insisted to rest up, he wanted to see his sister before the War.  
  
It may be the last time he ever sees his sister again.  
  
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Ivy was thrilled, but tired beyond belief as Jano led her out of the Cave of Bad Dreams. Her clothes, although still remained mostly intact, were soaked with sweat and torn at the sleeves where monsters nipped at her. Her vibrant red hair fell around her shoulders like a red veil, which she shook off with one toss of her head. Her hands were cramping from overexercising her powers, but it was a good kind of hurt. Walking like a zombie, Ivy followed the Guardian through the Cave of Bad Dreams until they went through the portal and ended up at the entrance. Ivy blinked, surprised to see that night had fallen a long time ago and that a campfire was set up nearby. She was about to ask Jano about why Rayman had set up camp, but he already answered before her words took form thanks to his focused mind- reading.  
  
"Rayman must know that Morphina will attack this place sooner than we expected, which is why I rushed our little training. It seems that night had fallen many hours ago; which means that your training indeed made sense of time. Normally, it would've taken us two days to learn all the right moves but you learn very quickly for a girl your age." Ivy merely nodded ominously at this comment and said nothing. Soon, they were out of the entrance and were on the large root that led into the Cave of Bad Dreams. She saw that not only Rayman and Sssam had set up camp, but also alot more people that Ivy didn't know yet. As soon as she entered into the ring of people, a very familiar face ran up to greet her.  
  
"Ivy!" Davis ran up to her and gave her a big hug, even though they saw each other just this morning. Ivy returned the hug, but she was shocked to see her brother, a non-believer of demons and magic, resting near a campfire with Rayman. "Davis! How'd you get here?" Ivy asked. Davis's mood wasn't killed by her question. "It's a long story Ivy, but it can wait. First, I must warn you that Morphina is going to attack the Cave of Bad Dreams at the first light of day! If we aren't prepared, we'll be wiped out!" Ivy sat down at the fire next to Rayman and Sssam, listening to her excited brother's words. She was examining the faces of the many different creatures that had joined Rayman's cause during her long training course with Jano.  
  
"I must get aquainted with your new friends, Rayman! How did you find so many people in a short amount of time?" she asked her friend. He responded with a brief explanation. "I didn't find them. All of them ran into us one way or another. They've all came to help us when I told them about your cause against Morphina. Donnia and Rex ran away from her army and floated up here, Freya and Bad-Rayman are quiting their careers in Morphina's army, and Globox and the two Teensies followed Davis when they ran away from her imprisonment."  
  
Ivy smiled warmly and soon the fire's warmth made her drift off to sleep. Her friends did their best to not disturb her as she rested her tired muscles for the war tomorrow. Soon, everyone in the camp was fast asleep, with Jano as the night-watch; seeing as a powerful being like him didn't need rest as much as the others. Soon, their world will be cloaked with the Veil of Darkness, but everyone made sure that they must Morphina's army with their strength and friends backing them up.  
  
Tomorrow will decide the fate of the world, good or bad....  
  
  
  
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End of Chapter 5.  
  
This chapter was a pain to type, but it was well worth the wait I think. The evils of writer's block has now passed, so expect Chapter 6 to not take as long. Chapter 6 may not be the last chapter; seeing as this one took a long time. Now that all of my important characters have met under a common cause; the war will probably be easier to write for. (I was planning for the two Commanders to be on Morphina's side until the very end and for both of them to die a slow death, but they've really grown on me since then. I don't want Freya to die anymore! )  
  
Ly is going to have a big role in the upcoming chapter. Stay tuned to see what happens! I might also write for Rayman again, so probably expect to see a sequel in the coming future.  
  
Remember to review! ^^ 


	6. Veil of Darkness

Veil of Darkness  
  
Author's Notes: Here it is; the last chapter. I bet you are all shaking in excitement right now. :) Believe me, this took a lot of my free time to type. Enjoy.  
  
Disclaimer: If you're too dense to know that I don't own Rayman even when I mentioned it in the other five chapters, I suggest you stop reading right here, right now. Also, Morphina's true form is slightly based off of the monster designs from Final Fantasy X, (What else could I do? I couldn't just make her a formless shadow with glowing eyes like what people imagine her to be!) but there are differences to keep Morphina from becoming a 'shape-shifting monster from Final Fantasy X'.  
  
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Where it was dark now there's light  
  
Where there was pain; now there's joy  
  
Where there was weakness, I found my strength  
  
A new day has come  
  
-*-*-*-*A New Day Has Come-*-*-*-*  
  
The final embers of the campfire dimmed to a light red glow as the large group of adventurers, except for Jano, slept and rested their strength for what lay ahead at the first lights of day. The hours spent resting were slim, but it beat staying the rest of the night up by a long slide. Some characters, like Sssam and Davis, would wake up every few minutes at the slightest sounds or movements, while others like Freya and Ivy slept like logs. As the others slept, Jano would keep his vigil, scanning the surroundings for any signs of incoming attack. He knew that the two wandering mages had already told Rayman that Morphina would attack at dawn but it was best to make sure that she didn't send an early wave while they slumbered. Jano spent some of his free time during the night by reading the minds of his partners, uncovering some long hidden feelings and secrets from the newer recruits.  
  
After his seventh uneasy awakening, Davis lay forlornly on his back as he stared into the dark canopy of the marsh's trees. He just couldn't sleep, part of his mixed feelings caused by the fact that he still didn't trust Freya and Bad-Rayman. Also, he had the feeling that Morphina would swoop down from the treetops and snatch him away from his friends. "You're okay?" Jano's rough voice whispered from his spot. Davis was startled by his voice, but he was quick to become calm again when he realized it was only Jano. "No, I keep thinking that-" "-monsters will swoop down any minute and snatch you away to be spell-bound by Morphina. I know because I share that thought. Morphina attacked me once, and I barely escaped with my free will. After that, she swore to herself that she'll finish the job someday."  
  
"Will Morphina attack with everything she has?" Davis asked, obviously uneducated in Jano's mind-reading abilities. "Yes. I know her well, as if we were of the same flesh and blood. Morphina is a lot more skilled in planning attacks than Mr. Dark or Razorbeard will ever be. She doesn't create reluctant clones-" Jano pointed to Bad-Rayman sleeping near the campfire next to his partner Freya. "-or becomes so ignorant that she believes that nothing can stop her like Razorbeard did. She knows that without quick planning her cause is useless. She knows that Commanders and slaves are unusable if they aren't loyal to their causes. She will be a tough foe to beat, and I think that we won't completely finish her off."  
  
Davis was frightened at the Guardian's words, but he knew that his words spoke the truth. Sighing, he lay his head down on his 'pillow', which was nothing more than a pile of soft leaves. Soon, his hurtful worrying was the very thing that lulled him to an uneasy sleep. As the large group of friends slept peacefully under the dark canopy of trees, Jano kept the ongoing vigil under the darkness of the comforting night. He maintained his watch even when the break of Dawn became ever closer. He knew that if the heroes were ever caught off guard by any leading attacks, there was no hope of survival for them. That very fact alone was worth losing his rest, Jano thought. He knew that Morphina would also be losing sleep as well; her plans too great to sleep on.  
  
As he spent his time by counting the minutes, one thought remained as clear as a horrible insult. Dawn will decide the fate of the world.  
  
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Morphina paced restlessly in her bedroom like a caged animal. Her plans were all set up, she had Ly to lead, the Veil of Darkness was ready for use, but she still had the feeling that she left an important yet subtle idea out from her plan of the Cave of Bad Dream's destruction. She felt it at the palm of her hand but yet she couldn't grasp it completely. Then she realized that she still hasn't placed her final pawn out into place; the mother of the little brat zombie-tamer that could cause an upset in her plans. She cursed to herself; Rosemary would be the perfect bait to lure Ivy to her doom before Morphina squeezed the final breath from that red- haired annoyance. Just as she was brooding, a scruffy-looking human massager ran into her room.  
  
"Morphina! The army has spotted the first ray of Dawn! We await your next commands, O' Great One!" The poor child was obviously spellbound; not even the Commanders called her 'O' Great One' if they wanted to keep their reputation intact. Morphina turned to the massager, her dark hair falling gracefully on her shoulders like a veil. "Tell them to wait for my orders. They can't just march towards the Cave of Bad Dreams unprepared, you know." She watched the massager run breathlessly down the oaken stairs of her lair and soon afterwards she followed along.  
  
Rosemary can wait for another time, Morphina decided inside her head. Ly will already lure an even bigger prize into my clutches anyways. She knew exactly what she was up against, but Rosemary would probably be overkill during her mission. She wasn't going to give Ivy the pleasure of seeing her mother one last time, even in the state that she's in. She emerged from the large oak tree mere moments after the panting slave ran back to its commander. When she stepped into view, everything and everyone in the army became still. Creatures of every shape and size all turned their attention on Morphina. The Commanders were getting rather tired of waiting, all of them either whistling some unknown tune or impatiently shifting their weight from one foot to another.  
  
"My loyal followers and servants," Morphina started. She had waited many months for this moment. "The time has come to put our planning and careful thinking into action. We are to show no mercy as we march to the location of the Cave of Bad Dreams. Remember two details; destroy whatever is in your path and save the Guardian for me." With a single click of her elegant fingers, thick darkness cloaked the army like a blanket; the Veil of Darkness playing its role of concealment. No more details needed to be issued; time was too short for questions.  
  
"Head towards your goal!" Morphina ordered. "Nothing will stop us!"  
  
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"Huh?" Ivy stirred awake rather uneasily from her deep peaceful sleep. Something had awakened her and Jano seemed aware of its presence. In the distance, Ivy could hear some deep hollow drumming in the distance. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Ivy gazed into the distance, but she saw nothing but the dark night. "Don't even try looking for them; Morphina's army will not attack in broad daylight." Ivy heard the Guardian state knowingly from behind her.  
  
"But I thought Donnia and Rex said that they will attack in the morning..." Ivy whispered. "No matter what time Morphina attacks her prey, her victim will see nothing but darkness. The one reason why she's called a flesh incarnation of death is because one of her powers is a concealment of shadow, nicknamed the Veil of Darkness." Ivy suddenly remembered that in her vision she didn't actually see Morphina firsthand, but only saw the pure darkness that blocked her vision. A shiver ran down her spine. "Awake the others. We need everybody on their feet quickly." Quickly, Ivy rushed to wake the others.  
  
It wasn't long before everyone in the camp was wide awake. The large group sat in a wide circle around the dying campfire, planning their next move. Almost everyone suggested a different kind of stragedy; some wanted to stand their ground and attack from the Cave of Bad Dreams entrance, and others wanted to rush in and attack the army firsthand. Finally, they settled with what Ivy had planned. "We'll use a little of both battle formations since we have a lot of people present. Some will stay here and others will attack the army firsthand. Now, we'll have to figure out who's staying to help protect the Cave." Ivy instructed.  
  
"I'll stay with Globox, the Teensies, Sssam, and Davis." Rayman answered. "The rest of you can attack the army firsthand. After all, it seems that a lot of you want to settle some scores with Morphina." Donnia, Rex, and the two ex-Commanders agreed almost instantly. "Then, I guess everything's settled then. We'll stay here and protect Jano, while you run and take care of Morphina the best way possible." The large group parted into two smaller divisions, one taking a station at the base of the entrance to the Cave, while the other group prepared themselves for battles of almost every kind. Daggers and swords were prepared and Freya even decided to take her zombie chickens with her for distraction purposes. Then, decided not to waste anymore valuable time, the attacking party ran out to meet their opponents.  
  
"Take care, Ivy." Davis whispered to himself as he saw his older sister disappear into the mist. "You're the only family I have left..."  
  
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The run and attack group padded across the deserted wasteland of the swamplands, each one awaiting their first target like a child would await the last day of school. The attacking party consisted of Donnia, Rex, Freya, Freya's three zombie chickens, Bad-Rayman, and Ivy, each one armed with their wits and available weapons. As they ran, the distant war drums changed from dull thumping to loud booming and the swamp became darker. The Veil of Darkness was obviously playing its role perfectly; Ivy even wondered if she would even see a foot in front of her face when she faced Morphina.  
  
"Head for high ground; the Veil of Darkness can only cloak so high off the ground!" Ivy heard Freya harshly whisper from her right side as their vision became more obscured. Ivy agreed silently with a nod so she lead the group up a twisted swamp tree nearby. With all the branches and footholds in the bark, it didn't take long before the group reached the top of the leafless piece of bark. They could easily see the sun winking brightly to the East over the swirling void below them that was the Veil of Darkness. Relieved, Ivy scanned the ground below her.  
  
"Holy...cow..." Ivy choked. Her relief turned into pure terror as she saw the army a few miles away from their perch advancing ahead. The Veil of Darkness made them very hard to see, but Ivy could see that monsters more terrifying than the most sickening nightmare were placed in the front; claws that could turn spines into dust crushed any trees and rocks that might be in their way like fragile toys and teeth as sharp as swords protruding from their maws. Between the monsters, agile Commanders darted from row to row, shouting commands and words of approval. In the sky above them, twisted shapes with wings flapped and glided across the sky like insects, their cries sounding like a harsh Raven's song. Ivy could see that the Commanders were often human or something human-like in shape.  
  
"Get a hold of yourself, Ivy! You're shaking like a leaf." Rex warned from a branch below her. Taking his advice, Ivy sucked in a forced breath and breathed more slowly to calm her fast beating heart. However, the army wasn't the thing that took Ivy's courage away; it was the massive creature that was burrowing in front. A few yards ahead of the army, a large burrowing creature rippled under the crust of the swamp like an earthworm the size of a New York subway train. Ivy realized that the rippling ground was traveling straight towards them! It was traveling at an immense speed so it wouldn't take long for the creature to reach them from their perch.  
  
"We need to get down from this tree pronto!" Ivy shouted. The other four people present immediately agreed after they spotted the moving ground. As they scrambled to get down the tree at their fastest speed, a sudden explosion nearly knocked them off their feet. It felt like the ground up ahead was exploding, kicking up whirlwinds of choking swamp dirt. The tree swayed at the force of the explosion and the group had to brace themselves in the tree's knotted bark. When the dirt cleared, Ivy became aware that something was watching them. Almost reluctantly, she turned her head. "Oh..." Her breath became choked in her throat. A large ugly red-scaled serpent was watching them, its lithe body the width of the largest tree trunks Ivy could imagine. It's enormous underbody was coated with sickening yellow scales that shone like plates of armor. Running down its ropelike back was row upon row of large ridges that could cut flesh like a butcher's knife. The snake's head was big enough for Ivy's house to sit on top of its head comfortably and two large fangs as long as Ivy gleamed near the snake's lips like daggers. But, what caused Ivy's blood to freeze was its one eye in the middle of its head, its knowing gaze piercing into their souls. A sickening hiss rumbled deep within the creature's throat.  
  
"Don't try to fight it, female. You just can't win..." The voice was deep and sadistic. Ivy's blood turned to ice; the same voice from her vision was present. "Morphina," she barely whispered above hearing level. The snake grinned a lethal smile at them. "When you die, the zombie-tamer bloodline will die with you. Everyone in this swamp will get a special taste of my upcoming leadership. The Cave and its Guardian is as good as dead." The creature was indeed Morphina; her mind thinking just like when Ivy met her during her dream. "Not if I can help it!" Rex suddenly called out. A bolt of red flames shot into Morphina's horrible eye like a speeding bullet. The creature that was Morphina shot back its head at the sudden attack and screamed a horrible sound of both pain and hatred. "Now's you chance!" Rex called out. "Head out towards the army. Nia and I will distract her." The remaining five, the two ex-Commanders, their spell-bound pets, and Ivy, leaped out of the tree and landed rather shaken on the swampland.  
  
They immediately leaped to their feet when they heard the monsters approach them at a faster pace. Ivy felt her legs turn into noodles when she saw a large group of monsters, each one looking more gruesome than the next, stood mere inches from her face. A human Commander, obviously oblivious to Freya and Bad-Rayman's side switch and owner of the three mountain bears, called out to them. "Hey, Freya! Can you lend me a hand?" the human replied. Freya replied with a swift kick to the hapless kid's face, knocking the cutthroat out. Immediately, Ivy sprang into action by cutting the bond that the Commander originally had on the creatures. When the monsters snapped out of it, they were free to do whatever they wanted, which happened to be attack the other Commanders and their captive pets. When the bondage is cut even the monsters want to kill Morphina, Ivy thought, this may come in handy.  
  
Soon, the three friends followed a quick pattern of disabling, freeing, and dodging to cut off a good portion of Morphina's army. Occasionally, a large monster would have to be distracted by Freya's loyal zombie pets and sometimes creatures would hound them and try to crush them like insects, only to be outdone by previously freed creatures. As more creatures and people were freed, they would either help Ivy's cause by attacking Commanders or still-bonded creatures, or they would run for their lives into the mists of the swamp. As they wore on, Ivy could still hear the shouts of her two friends Donnia and Rex as they kept Morphina occupied with their magic skills. As the army disappeared under their attacks, a sudden earthquake knocked the three fighters off their feet.  
  
"Oh no!" Ivy quickly realized what had happened. Leaving her friends to hold the rest of the army off, she ran across the battlefields as fast as she could to where she left her two friends Donnia and Rex. Instead of seeing the old swamp tree that Donnia and Rex were last seen, she saw a large gaping hole that looked like a black hole. Then, the truth dawned on Ivy. Like Donnia and Rex were a distraction, Morphina's army was a distraction to hold her off. If she was left alone for enough time, Morphina would then burrow her way to the Cave of Bad Dreams to face off against Jano. Ivy beat the ground her fist in frustration. "How stupid could I get? I left Morphina alone, and I lost two of my friends..." Ivy cursed. Hopelessly, Ivy called her friends' nicknames into the hole, but she heard only silence.  
  
Morphina had dragged Donnia and Rex to their doom...  
  
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Back at the entrance to the Cave of Bad Dreams, Rayman and his small group of observant watchers waited patiently for any signs of either the advancing army or Morphina herself. They also waited for their friends, but most of them decided that they won't see any sign of them until the entire army was finished off. Boy, were they wrong. "I don't like this..." Sssam whimpered. "It's too dark to be morning, and we don't even know if Ivy is still alive or not. I want to know what's going on out there!" Rayman patted his friend's back. "They're doing quite well if we still don't see any sign of Morphina and her army. In fact, I could rightly say that we'll win this struggle!"  
  
"Oh really?" a disembodied voice replied. There was a flash of silver light and suddenly Ly, Morphina's spell-bound lackey, stood casually in front of the watching eyes of Rayman and his friends. She smiled sadistically. "You still have those annoyingly high hopes with you, Rayman. Face the facts; Morphina is mere moments away from here, Donnia and Rex are as good as dead, those two failures that call themselves Commanders are being torn limb from limb by my army, and Ivy has no one to protect her now. Everyone here in this stinking swamp is as good as dead!" Rayman knew that Ly wouldn't speak that way; he could easily see that she was a slave of Morphina. He stood his ground.  
  
"Ly, please. You know what you're saying is not true... Fight it, Ly!" Rayman yelled, memories of the painful battle he fought against his strongest friend Clark rushing back to him. However, since Ly is a magic creature, maybe their was a chance to break the spellbound without any help from a zombie-tamer. At least, Rayman hoped so. Behind him, some of Rayman's friends shook their heads sadly because unlike Rayman they've experienced some of Morphina's spell-bound creatures and they weren't that easy to help. Ly smile became a grin. "'Fight it'? Is that the best you can do? You very well know that my loyalty to Morphina is a lot stronger than an outburst from a legless wimp that hangs out with mind-reading monsters!"  
  
  
  
"Did you come here just to poke fun at us, or do you actually have a purpose of being here?" a Teensie complained. Ly nodded. "Yes, I do. I came here because I was tired of watching Ivy and her friends dealing out damage to my team of monsters, but I'm also here to see the fall of the Cave of Bad Dreams." Rayman was no longer sad at Ly's spell-bondage, but angry that she would say such a thing about the very foundation that one of his friends guarded. He poised to attack the fairy he once was friends with, but Jano held him back.  
  
"She's not thinking clearly; its best to just let her do her own devices for now, Rayman." he whispered behind him. Rayman reluctantly agreed, but he could see that hurting Ly would only make things worse. Instead, he questioned her. "Ly, do you know when Morphina's getting here?" Ly nodded, and Rayman realized he was going to get a straight answer from the impish fairy. "As a matter of fact, she's here right now!" At her words, the ground shook rapidly under their feet, and soon the same giant snake that Donnia and Rex had failed to tame spawned out of the murky green swamp water like a sea serpent. Just like the army, Ly had only been a distraction to make Morphina's appearance a surprise. As soon as Morphina was out of the ground, her body shimmered and melted until it became Morphina's human shape standing right next to Ly too casually to be considered human.  
  
"Thank you, Ly. I wouldn't have made my introduction worth it without you." Morphina stated sadistically. At her sight, Sssam screamed and hid behind some tangled shrubs growing near the Cave's entrance and the two Teensies hid behind Globox's and Davis' backs as the two backed slowly away from Morphina like one would back away from a advancing wolf. Rayman growled and his hands curled into angry fists. Surprisingly, Jano seemed indifferent as Morphina did her best to look intimidating in her lithe human frame. "If I had known that it took this much effort to make the Cave of Bad Dreams rightfully mine, I should've came here in person."  
  
"It'll take more than some of your distractions to let my guard down," Rayman hissed venomously. Morphina instantly shot his argument down. "That's how much it took to bring two mages down to their knees. To tell you the truth, Ivy and her loyal companions didn't stand a chance against me. It felt like killing some insects with a bazooka." She stepped quietly towards the Cave's entrance. "I'll do this the easy way, or the hard way. You can just hand the Cave of Bad Dreams to me, and I'll spare your lives. Or, you can refuse and I'll squash you like the insects you are."  
  
"The Cave of Bad Dreams will never be in the possession of a demon like you!" Jano shouted. "Such big talk for a cyclopic monster like you, Jano. Let's see if you can keep your word!" Instantly, Morphina's body melted and twisted into a monster unlike what Rayman has seen in his entire life of adventuring. With one red eye just like Jano's in the center of her twisted face, a cross between a scorpion and a lizard twice as tall as Rayman stood hunched on four clawed legs, pale tan-colored scales gleaming with toxin covering her flexible body. Large pincers designed for squeezing the life out of victims were protecting her scaled chest area, a scorpion-like tail curled behind her for protecting her back, and a jaw that could bite through solid steel hung open and dripped with saliva and venom.  
  
"What the hell is that thing?" Rayman asked Jano in shock. "It's Morphina's true form; a poison-coated monster that was formed from Polokus's nightmares from long ago. Her skin alone is fatal, and that doesn't do justice for what her jaws can do." Jano had little time to finish his words before the monster that was Morphina lashed out with its tail and tried to pin down Rayman with the tail's poisonous tip. Rayman barely dodged without being stung with a sideward roll and hit the side of the venomous monster with an energy ball. To his surprise, the creature shook the hit off like an insect bite. Before he could charge up another energy fist, he was knocked off the ground by a flash of light.  
  
"Stay out of this, Rayman! Morphina wants to fight Jano, not you!" Ly shouted at her dazed friend. "If you're lusting for battle, then why don't you try your hand on me!" Soon, Rayman was caught up in another fast-paced battle against a familiar enemy, much to his surprise. The fairy creature had caught him off guard; soon Ly was dealing more damage than Rayman could block with her lithe frame. As they fought swiftly, Morphina was slowly advancing towards Jano, a hungered look in her monstrous eye....  
  
Luckily for Rayman, Fate seemed to be on his side. Just as Ly was about to deliver a final blow, a familiar being burst from the underbrush. "This is for Nia and Drac!" Ivy tackled Ly to the ground way before she could recover. The force of the blow sent both of the women skidding across the ground, inflicting rashes and tearing already ripped clothing. When they slowed to a stop, Ivy was the first to regain senses and rise. "Sorry I had to do that Ly, but Jano said that bigger foes had to be tackled before you could free them." She quickly abandoned the confused fairy and ran to meet Morphina.  
  
Whether she was ready or not, she was going to face her fears eye-to eye.  
  
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Ivy felt bile rise to her throat like a tidal wave as she saw the twisted monstrosity that was obviously Morphina approach her friends like a hungry cobra. Davis, Globox, the two Teensies, and Sssam stood their ground, fear no longer present in their systems as the creature came closer. Rayman was now protecting Ly, who was staring at Morphina with a mix of confusion and shock. Morphina was trying to get her hideous claws within reaching distance of Jano, who was ready to stand for the very foundation that held Morphina's prize.  
  
Ivy...Ignore your fear and use your family's inheritance against that abomination! A calm voice whispered into her head which she guessed that was either Ly or Jano. Agreeing to whoever warned her, she ran towards the monstrous thing that approached the Cave of Bad Dreams. Morphina turned her head and, seeing the zombie-tamer running towards her grasp, forgot about her previous prey and scrambled towards the red-haired powerhouse. "You have no chance of surviving, female." Morphina hissed. Globs of saliva hit the ground as she spoke. "I could easily rip you apart as I am right now. What makes you so persistent to be rid of me?"  
  
"You're a pure evil, Morphina." Ivy said. She approached the creature without any trace of fear. Her hands were clenched so tightly to her sides that her knuckles turned white. As she stepped into the monster's area of attack, she spoke sternly to Morphina. "You enslaved too many people of this world. You control innocents; turn them into monsters for your twisted ways. You survive just to see the Cave of Bad Dreams fall under your clutches, and with that you hire cutthroats to run errands for you while your schemes become darker and more twisted. For that, I can't let you touch the Cave of Bad Dreams." With a solid movement of her right hand, Ivy pulled out a dagger once hidden from her ripped clothing. It gleamed unnaturally with a inward glow even in the sheltered swamp. Upon closer examination, even Davis could easily see that the dagger she held belonged to Bad-Rayman.  
  
"You're going to kill me with a dagger? Don't you know that my skin is tough enough to keep swords from piercing it." Morphina informed Ivy. They both had all their attention on each other, and both of them slowly but steadily closed the gap between them. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the two enemies waited for the first one to strike. As they circled the poisoned swamp ground, the dagger shone like a beacon of pale white light. "Jano, what's going on with Ivy's dagger?" Davis asked as the two foes continued waiting. "It's another spell I taught Ivy during her brief training session. It's the Tamer's Light, a spell that transfers Ivy's powers to whatever weapon she plans to use. Luckily, she was smart enough to ask her ex-Commander friend for his dagger before she came back." The Guardian watched the deadly scorpion lizard close the gap separating it from its prey. "Let's just hope she can use it correctly..."  
  
Just after Jano finished talking, Morphina was the first to strike. When Ivy got close enough, the creature lunged open-mouthed at Ivy, saliva and venom dripping from her long fangs. Ivy parried by rolling to her right side and swiped at Morphina's exposed side before she had chance to recover. The knife sliced through Morphina's scales like butter, leaving a deep gash running down her side. The horrifying monster screeched in pain, an ear-wracking sound like nothing Ivy had ever heard before; It reared back wildly and roared, causing the group watching the battle to cringe, and spat a rush of venomous mist that had a biting acid stench at Ivy. She was able to dodge most of the mist, but the fiery sting in her left shoulder told her that she didn't completely dodge the attack. Instantly after contact, venom swept through her veins like fire, filling Ivy with a choking burning sensation. Ivy gasped at the sudden pain but she forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Swaggering with her glowing dagger in her hand, Ivy ran at the fastest speed possible towards Morphina, dagger in hand.  
  
"Keeeeeraaagghhh!!!!" Morphina screeched again as the dagger dove through her chest. The creature wiggled unpleasantly in pain, but Ivy held on fast as she ignored her own pains of the venom spreading throughout her body. Morphina writhed in distress before she finally shuddered and went limp, head slapping the back of Ivy's neck like a limp rag. Then, the monster began to unnaturally shimmer and evaporate into a dark-purple vapor until the hideous venom-breather was nowhere in sight. The group watched, too terrified to move as the final traces of Morphina disappeared into the canopy.  
  
That was the last thing Ivy saw before she lost consciousness and fell to the ground, dagger still clutched in her hand....  
  
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Ivy woke up once again in the comfort of her own bed. Confused, she stared at the ceiling of her household with a sense of weariness to her body. She was snuggled in the comfort of her bed, but where was the others? Was the whole War of the Souls just a dream like the first attack against Morphina?  
  
"Ivy, you're awake!" Ivy turned her head to the familiar sound of Donnia's voice in surprise. Sure enough, she was sitting on a wooden stool right next to her bed, a cup of mashed herbs in her hand. "Donnia!" Ivy croaked, and then she cut herself off when she realized her voice was unnaturally hoarse from Morphina's poison. "In the flesh! When that hideous serpent fought against us, she grew tired of fighting us and smashed the tree we were in into oblivion. We were both knocked into some bushes, where we lost consciousness. Shortly after, Freya found us and dragged us out."  
  
"How could I be still alive? I was sprayed by monster venom..." Ivy started, but then she saw the skull-shaped mugs sitting near her bed. The Elixir of Life; Jano must've prepared a batch to remove Morphina's venom from her blood. She tried to rise, but the pain of her left shoulder stopped her from moving it. Sighing to herself, she lay back in her goose- down bed and relaxed. Suddenly, a friendly face greeted her from the door. "Dad!?!" Sure enough, Pierce Thorn stood at the door, his gruff face smiling at his daughter. Next to him, Davis stood with a fistful of herbs for Ivy's wound. He seemed really happy that Ivy lived through the experience.  
  
"What you did was truly amazing, Ivy." Pierce stated with half-heartedness. Ivy noticed that a long nylon bandage was wrapped around his stomach, where Bad-Rayman had inserted his dagger into his exposed stomach. It had turned out that the knife's blow wasn't fatal, but it did knock Pierce out. "You're mother would've been proud to see you slay Morphina single- handedly." Ivy shook her head at her father's comment. "No. Without the help of my friends, I wouldn't have done the job correctly. Everyone, including Freya, Bad-Rayman, and Sssam, did their job to make Morphina's downfall a success."  
  
Donnia smiled at this news, but she continued mixing the herbs in the bowl without another sound. "Speaking of your friends, Rayman, the Teensies, Globox, and Sssam left a little while ago. They went back to their homes, but we can expect a visit from one of them every once in a while to see how you're doing, if that's not a problem to you." Ivy shook her head, still settled in the bedding. "The two ex-Commanders are going to leave tomorrow, but they want to make sure you're going to live. They even said that anybody who gets poisoned by demon spew and lives is considered a true fighter." Ivy smiled warmly at this news; she could understand Rayman's traveling nature but she wanted to say goodbye to her cutthroat friends.  
  
"Me and Drac are going to stay and help out around here, but we won't overstay our welcome." Donnia stated warmly. "We'll be here for about another three or four days but then we'll leave to travel the world once again. As far as I'm concerned, the world is our household!" With that, Donnia rushed to Ivy's side and applied a cold sticky paste to her healing shoulder. As soon the medicine was applied, sleep and fatigue overcame Ivy and she went into a deep slumber in the calmness of her household.  
  
Peace was restored to her life once again.  
  
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"Cowards! The lot of you!" Morphina shouted at her remains of her once proud army; Pondscum, a handful of other Commanders, and some still spell- bound slaves they managed to hold on to. The other Commanders either turned tail at the sight of the monsters that had escaped their bond or were slaughtered brutally at the hands of Freya and Bad-Rayman. Morphina, now in her human form once again, was not very happy with her life right now. But, she did have one advantage to her side; everyone thought that they had seen the last of her when Ivy cut her open with her old Commander's dagger.  
  
"Just you wait, Zombie-Tamer. I'll show you the true meaning of fear..." Morphina hissed venomously. Several Commanders backed away from her like she had caught a deadly plague, and spell-bound victims copied their masters' movements. They knew that once she was in this mood, she was hard to calm down. They merely watched as Morphina shouted and cursed to herself in anger.  
  
"The world will bow before me! I'll make sure of it!!!"  
  
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The End  
  
Well, how did you like it? Remember to review! ^^ To tell you the truth, this was the funnest story to type. I loved all the characters for once! (Unlike Stormwing and my Pokegod stories. Some characters...lacked personality...*coughCanyonandQuakecough*) Yeppers, I've left enough information for a sequel, so expect it to come in a short span of time. ^^ However, I'll hold back until I get a copy of Hoodlum Havoc, so that I can tie some of its elements in with the Veil of Darkness sequel. (The dark lums interest me. Maybe Morphina should have some on her side...)  
  
You've read the story, so here's some Fun facts!  
  
*Ivy Thorn's original name was Poison Ivy, but it didn't look good on paper to have a female character named Poison. It also had some Batman references. Big no-no.  
  
*Morphina old final forms: Black shadow with glowing eyes, zombie chicken with battle axe, the same species as Jano, a harpie, a Chinese dragon, the same species as Sssam, and a cat furry.  
  
*Freya's name is not based off of the Final Fantasy IX character Freya, but rather the same name as an old childhood friend. (Although I do think my Freya and the Final Fantasy Freya bear some rather striking resemblances)  
  
*Donnia and Rex were originally going to be my old fan characters Crystal and Snowflake (main characters of Stormwing) but they wouldn't fit the job correctly, so I asked for the audience to send their character's profiles. (And Ryoko D. was the only one who sent any, so they were used.)  
  
*I added the Teensies and Globox to the story after a three hour session with Rayman Arena. @_@  
  
The upcoming stories in the Veil of Darkness series: Under the Moonlight; a past story about Donnia and Rex, Silken Dagger; a past story about Freya, and Concealment of Evil; the sequel to Veil of Darkness.  
  
  
  
I'll say it once, and I'll say it again. Review! 


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